Redefined
by TheSoundofMusic
Summary: Neil hates Rio. No, really. He really doesn't like her; she's too optimistic,and she's WAY to friendly to him. He doesn't want her friendship, or her pity, or anything from her! Rio, for her part, tries-but that Neil! Rio is pretty sure she's never loathed someone this much in her life! So what happens when the word hate begins to mean the word love?
1. Chapter 1

**Hate**

_**noun**_, _**often attributive**_ \ˈhāt\

: a very strong feeling of dislike

**Love**

_**noun**_ \ˈləv\

: a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person

* * *

Rain streaked the gray stone, the raindrops seeming to etch themselves into the names that were carved deeply into the slabs that stood on the hill. Standing between the two graves, a young woman with long, straight hair stood with her head bowed. The black of her dress seemed to match the color of the sky, and her silky, golden locks were hidden by a thick black hood that covered her head. Her sad, blue eyes stared at the letters on the graves, not seeming to comprehend the names written there.

She stood in silence, until an older girl who was almost identical to her approached the lonely figure.

"Rio," the taller girl said gently. "Let's go inside, okay? You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long."

Without saying a thing, Rio shook her head vigorously. Sighing, the taller girl unbuttoned her black coat, before draping it carefully over Rio's head to shield her from the rain. Throwing one arm around the girl, she said, "Come on, let's go. As your older sister, it's my job to make sure that you don't get sick. Come on, Rio, let's go."

Dropping her arm from her sister's side, the older girl grabbed Rio's hand and led her away from the graves. The two traveled in silence for a moment before the younger one finally spoke.

In a soft, bell-like voice, she asked, "Claire?"

"Hmm?"

There was silence, before Rio spoke up. "Claire, what happens now?"

"What do you mean, Rio? We go back to my place, that's what happens. I can't have you staying in the house all by yourself, now that Mom and Dad are gone."

"But my stuff-"

Claire interrupted, pulling Rio closer as the two girls left the graveyard and headed into the town, "I'll make Gray get your things later. Right now we need to only get the things you need and head back to Mineral Town, okay?"

Rio turned her head back slightly, looking at her parents' resting place one last time before turning her back on the graveyard and following her sister.

* * *

Claire watched as her sister stood on the deck of the boat, gazing at the gray waters with a blank expression on her face. As the beach came into sight, the older girl gave a small sigh of relief before standing up from where she had been sitting on the deck and coming up to her sister. Grabbing Rio by the shoulders, the older sister steered her off the deck and towards the exit of the boat, clutching their suitcases with her free hand as the boat docked in.

The dock was empty, save for two men who immediately straightened up when Claire and Rio walked off the boat. The more muscular one walked over to Claire and began to talk to her, while the younger man approached Rio cautiously.

"Hey, Rio," he said, in an awkward attempt at a greeting. As polite as ever, the blond girl smiled at him gently before replying, "Hi, Gray. How have things been?"

Glancing over at Claire, Gray murmured, "Pretty good. Claire and I have only been married a year now, but it feels like we've been together forever. My grandfather's really eased up on me since we married too."

"That's nice to hear," Rio smiled, also glancing over at where her sister was now nodding at something the other man was saying. Turning back to her brother-in-law, Rio said, "Claire always writes to me about what a fantastic husband you are, and how glad she is that you two got married."

Red burned on Gray's cheeks at Rio's words, and looking at the ground he muttered, "I'm not THAT fantastic…"

His attitude towards her sister made Rio smile again, as the girl reflected on how easy it was to tell that Gray loved Claire very much. Before she could comment on it though, Claire came over and leaned forward to kiss Gray on the cheek. While Gray's blush spread even more, Claire turned to her sister and said, "Apparently Zack had a problem with the stuff I shipped before I left, but I took care of it. We can go now."

"Ah, let me get those," Gray said, reaching out and taking the suitcases from Claire. After rearranging them to both fit on one arm, he offered his other arm to Claire. The three walked off the deck in that manner, arm in arm as they headed into town.

* * *

It was two weeks later that Rio first heard Gray and Claire talking about her, and what had happened. The blond lay silently in her bed, barely breathing as she listened to the couple talking through the small crack in her door.

"Aren't you sad at all, Claire?"

"A little. I loved my mom and dad, but since I left home pretty young I was never really attached-my dad and I fought too much about the littlest things. I didn't spend much time with my mom either, since I was always out of the house trying to avoid my dad. Rio's always been closer to them…I think part of that was she listened to them and I didn't."

There was a silence, and Rio could almost see the grumpy look on Gray's face as she heard him say, "Well I feel bad for both of you. It sucks to lose your parents, and Rio's only eighteen. That's a year younger than you were when you started living on your on."

"That's true," Claire mused, "I made it though-nineteen and living by myself in the city, trying to do something with my life. Rio was only fourteen at the time that I left." There was a laugh, and then Claire continued, "I remember how sad she was that I was leaving. She begged and pleaded with me to stay, but I had my mind made up by then. Like I said, I've always been the more headstrong between the two of us, even though we're both equally strong. She's a lot stronger than she looks, and since it takes so much more to make her angry it's kind of scary when she does get mad." Claire giggled lightly as the thought of an angry Rio crossed her mind.

There was another silence, before Gray asked, "What is Rio going to do, now that your parents are gone?"

"Hmmm…that's a good question. And I still have to go back and talk to some lawyers too, as they've been looking at the will. I'm willing to bet that she's inherited most of what they left behind, if not all of it."

Ignoring Claire's statement, Gray said, "She could stay on with us for a bit. I wouldn't mind having her stay here with us and letting her help out around the farm."

Claire laughed again, before mocking, "You're just worried that I can't take care of this big farm all by myself, aren't you? I've been doing it for years, why would I need help now?"

"Well, what if-"

"That's just a what if, Gray," Claire interrupted smoothly, leaving Rio to wonder what her brother-in-law had been about to say. "Anyways," Claire continued, "I don't mind her staying here either. If anything, I'd love it since I've barely seen her since I left home. But knowing Rio, she won't want to impose on us. She'll also feel bad, claiming that she's interrupting our married life."

At this statement, Rio snuggled deeper under the covers and nodded to herself. The young girl marveled at how her sister knew her so well, despite the fact that most of their communication over the years had been via letter, and had been sparse at that. As the couple began to talk more about whether or not Rio would stay, the blond turned over and stared at the wall, thinking over everything she'd heard.

Claire had been right; Rio wasn't planning on staying with her sister. Not only did she want to do something on her own, but the idea of staying with such a loving couple was more lonely than Rio wanted to admit. Although she knew the two would never flaunt their relationship in front of her, she couldn't help but notice the way the two looked at each other. It was more than enough to make anyone feel like an outsider.

Rolling back over, Rio stood up and made it a point to get out of bed loudly so as to alert the couple that she was awake. Biting her lip, Rio stood at the door and wondered what was going to happen to her, before sighing and pulling it open.

* * *

"Take me back with you!" Rio pleaded, sitting on her sister's bed while Claire packed her suitcase for a second trip to their hometown. Frowning, Claire threw out one shirt and put in another before turning back to her sister and ruffling her hair.

"Why would you want to come? It'll just be a bunch of boring talking about inheritance. Don't worry, I'll get it sorted all out and set things up for you!"

Pouting, Rio crossed her arms before saying, "I want to do this, Claire. It's my life-I can take care of myself!"

With a laugh, Claire tossed more clothes in her suitcase before saying, "Honestly, Rio, you're still a kid! I'm the grownup here, listen to me won't you?"

Before Rio could argue back, Claire's phone rang loudly, the loud ringing seeming to clang throughout the house. Holding up a finger to Rio, Claire picked up the phone and said, "Hello? Oh, Mr. Penbrook!"

There was a pause, then Claire replied, "Yes, I'm packing my things to come meet you as soon as possible to discuss the….what?"

Rio looked up as Claire's voice took on a concerned tone. Sitting on the edge of the bed slowly, Claire's eyes widened and she said loudly, "WHAT? What do you mean, there's only five hundred in the bank?"

Claire paused again, before knitting her eyebrows together and asking, "A deed? But my father…"

There was a murmuring sound on the other side of the phone, and Claire frowned before saying, "Mmmhm. I see. Well thank you-I'll be checking my mailbox for those documents then. Yes. Yes. Have a good day, Mr. Penbrook."

As Claire hung up, Rio asked, "What was that all about?"

Exhaling through her nose, Claire grimaced and said, "Well you don't have much to inherit, it seems. Mom and Dad didn't save much for you to live off of-five hundred was left in their bank. Besides that, it seems that they couldn't find any sort of will. The only document they found in the study was a deed to some farmland in a place called Echo Village, with Dad's name on it."

Straightening up, Rio asked, "Farmland?"

"Yeah," Claire sighed, standing up and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now don't get any wild ideas, but-"

"Claire!" Rio interrupted, an excited looking spreading over her face. "I can go there! I can live on that land and make it my own!"

The younger sister sobered a bit when Claire glared a little at her. In a scolding, motherly tone, Claire said, "Think about what you're saying, Rio! It's a lot of hard work to run a farm, especially by yourself."

"You did it," Rio pouted, folding her arms and biting her lip. The two sisters stared each other down for a minute, before Claire argued, "You're not as strong as me, you've always relied on someone else to take care of you. How can you possibly do this sort of thing by yourself?"

Standing up, Rio yelled back, "I may not be as strong as you, Claire, but that doesn't mean I'm a complete weakling! Look, let me take care of my own life, okay?"

Claire took a step back, shocked at her sister's yell. It was so out of character for Rio that for a moment, Claire wondered how much her sister was actually capable of. Sitting down on the bed again, Claire asked quietly, "I just want to protect you…that's all."

Stepping closer, Rio knelt down and took her sister's hands, squeezing them as she replied, "I know. But I've got to grow up sometime, Claire. This is the perfect opportunity for me to do so-I can become my own person. I loved Mom and Dad, but they treated me like I was some sort of doll. And you do the same thing. Let me prove myself-let me become someone strong, like you!"

At the determination in her sister's eyes, Claire smiled before leaning forward and pulling Rio in for a hug.

"Alright," she conceded, letting go of Rio. "You can do this. But the second I get a letter or call from you saying you need help, I'm coming over there and selling that land, you hear me?"

A big grin spread across Rio's face, the first real smile she'd given since the funeral. Standing up, Rio exclaimed, "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"

As she turned and skipped happily out the door, Claire smiled and shook her head. Watching her sister go, she murmured, "Yeah, you'll be fine."

* * *

**So, credit where it's due-Thank the LORD for Google Images and Deviant art, for without it I would be picture-less, and that would be quite sad! And I would also be sad without the whole Harvest Moon franchise, which all these lovely characters are based :) **

**Now that I've given credit and all that jazz, time for a quick explanation! **

**Just got out of school for summer? Check. **

**Just got a new 3ds? Check.**

**Just got Havest Moon: A New Beginning? CHECK!**

**If you couldn't tell, I'm WAAAY excited about this game and it's characters :) I actually feel like I could write a story for the OC and all the bachelors (individually of course) but I'm starting off with Neil and Rio because I think they are way cute together. They are currently a favorite of mine from all the ships I've seen of these game characters XD **

**That being said, this is the first HM fic I've posted in awhile so hopefully it's not TOO random or out of character! Please be gentle on me with your comments, readers XD I would love to have reviews telling me what you like and dislike about what I've posted so far, but no burning please! **

**Also I can't make any committed promises about how frequently this will be updated; unlike when I was writing my other HM stories and posted two chapters every day, I'm really cultivating my writing and thus am taking WAY more time with it. That, and I still have two other stories I need to work on XD **

**But yeah, that's about it for now :) Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll see you on the next update! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

Rio had never been good with directions. After wandering around near a river for hours, she was all but ready to give up when she saw a signpost with various arrows sticking out of it. Walking up to it, she glanced at the words scrawled on the wood. Much to her relief, one of them pointed to Echo Village, indicating that she would have to head towards the small bridge on her left and down the path if she wanted to make it to her destination.

Just as she turned to head in that direction, Rio was startled to see an older man in a long brown trench coat come stumbling through the foliage. Before she could even say hello to him, he collapsed on the ground with a groan, then lapsed into silence as he continued to lay on the ground.

Immediately Rio panicked, dropping the pack she'd been carrying and rushing over to the man. Dancing back and forth on her feet, she muttered to herself, "What am I going to do? Is he dead? Oh my gosh, what if he's DEAD? Should I bury the body? No wait, don't I have to check his identity first? Ah, I don't want to touch a dead body!"

As she continued to panic senselessly, she suddenly remembered that she was near the river.

Without a second thought, Rio grabbed the man under the arms and pulled with all her might, slowly dragging him to the edge of the river. Running back to the signpost, she grabbed her pack and dashed back to where the man still lay face down in the grass. With a grunt, Rio managed to flip him over before rummaging inside her pack and producing a tin cup that her sister had given her for traveling. Dipping it into the cool water, Rio filled it up before propping up the older man's head and raising the cup to his lips.

After a few sips, he sputtered, then came to his senses. Sitting up, he looked about and asked, "Wha-Where am I?"

Sitting back, Rio gave a huge sigh of relief before saying cheerfully, "You're near a river! I can't really tell you where since I have no idea where I am either, but at least you're better now!"

The man looked at her before squinting and rubbing his eyes. Peering at her closely, he asked, "You…you wouldn't happen to be related to Arthur Foster, would you?"

Brightening up, Rio asked, "You knew my dad?"

The man blinked and said, "Your dad? Oh! You must be one of his daughters! Would you be Claire or Rio?"

With a laugh, the blond extended her hand and said, "Rio Foster, at your service! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Adopting a more serious tone, she asked, "Listen, you wouldn't happen to know the way to Echo Village, would you? I'm…well I'm a bit lost."

"Know the way? I'm the mayor of the village! Come along, let me show you there!"

* * *

As the two walked down the path towards the village, the older man introduced himself as Dunhill before asking , "I haven't heard from your father lately. Last I heard, he wrote me to say that he was considering giving you the farmland he inherited here. Is that why you've come?"

Rio's smile fell from her face for a second, before she straightened up and said, "My dad and mom passed away a few weeks ago. I was living with my sister for a bit, but when I found out about this land I came down as soon as I could to live here."

Dunhill bowed his head and said, "My condolences, for your loss."

"Thank you," Rio said, giving him a half-smile. The two walked in silence for a little bit before entering the town. As they walked in, Dunhill said, "Well it's good that you've come to live here. It will be nice to have another person…" His voice trailed off as the older man focused on something else, and Rio's gaze wandered over to where he was looking.

To her surprise, she saw four people standing around a cart. Looking closer, she observed a homely woman with short light red curls, and an older woman. Both had depressed looks on their faces, and the man and boy they were talking to appeared sad as well.

"Must you go?" the younger woman asked, and the man nodded sadly before replying, "I'm sorry, Emma, but there's just no point in having an Inn when there are no customers. Besides that, the village has become so empty…."

The older woman with the bonnet nodded slowly, before saying sadly, "You're right. It's such a shame, but we've become such a small village…please, come back when you can. Don't forget this place!"

The man smiled sadly and nodded, saying, "Of course we'll come back as soon as we can, Hana! How could I forget my hometown?" Turning to the boy, the man said, "Shall we go then?" The boy nodded, and the four people walked off with the cart.

Turning back to Dunhill, Rio saw that the older man was sadly shaking his head. "That's another resident we've lost," he said in a depressed tone. Looking up at Rio, he explained, "In the last few years our village has slowly gotten smaller and smaller-the more people leave, the less there is here and so even more people leave. It's a vicious cycle, and now that our Inn is gone…"

Not finishing his sentence, Dunhill straightened up and said, "Well, there's no point mulling over it. Come along, I'll show you to the farm grounds."

* * *

As Rio took in the farmland, her eyes widened in wonder at how much land was at her disposal. While Dunhill talked on about the barn and the farmhouse, Rio wandered away from him, walking towards a cluster of trees where she could hear what sounded like rushing water.

"Rio?"

Completely lost in her own world, Rio looked around at the trees, marveling at how large they were in comparison to herself. Running her hand across one of the nearby trunks, she smiled to herself before murmuring aloud, "These trees are beautiful…Claire doesn't have anything like these on her farm!"

She was jolted out of her daze when Dunhill coughed, "Rio? I'm still explaining the basics of your farm here…"

Whirling around, the blond bowed with an apologetic face, exclaiming, "I'm sorry! I just saw the trees and they were so pretty…" Trailing off and blushing a little at her own silliness, Rio stood bashfully with her hands behind her back as Dunhill broke out into a rusty sounding chuckle.

"Oh, it's alright," the older man waved off her apology. "I suppose you want to explore the wonders of this place for yourself; after all, it's your farm. If you do need any help though, know that the other villagers and I will always be willing to explain something, or tell you what's to be done!"

Glancing back at the road that led to the village, Dunhill said, "I'll be going then. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to the residents, alright? Rest up for today!" Tipping his hat to her, Dunhill strode off and left Rio by herself on the lawn. The girl gave one last look at her farmlands before smiling to herself and heading towards the house.

When she pushed the doors open, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the house was already furnished, until she remembered that Dunhill had said her father had occasionally come down to use the place as a storage and study area. Setting down her pack gently, Rio walked over to the fridge and glanced inside. When she found it empty, she made a small noise of disappointment before deciding to forage for food the next day. The weight of all that had happened since she'd left her sister's finally hit her, and Rio stumbled towards the small bed, suddenly exhausted. Throwing back the covers, she flopped onto the bed and was fast asleep within the hour.

* * *

_Her feet smacked lightly against the wood floor, and Rio squealed as she nearly slid into a wall on her way to the table-not that it would have been the first time she'd done so. The smell of waffles filled the air, the warm buttery scent seeming to taunt her as it wafted towards her from the dining room. Rushing towards the smell, Rio could already hear her parents up and about, talking to each other in the kitchen as the day began. _

_Walking in, Rio arrived just in time to watch her father lean over to give her mother a kiss as the woman stood by the counter, spatula in one hand. _

"_Good morning!" Rio sang, greeting her parents with a happy smile as she ran over to them and gave them each a hug. _

_Her father smiled and grabbed her in a big bear hug, squeezing her tightly as he boomed, "How's my girl doing?" _

_Ruffling the blond hair she'd inherited from him, her father grabbed an empty plate and handed it to her before grabbing two more empty ones. Leading his daughter to the table, he called over his shoulder, "Emily, we're heading to the table. I've got your plate already!" _

"_Thank you, Arthur!" A sweet voice called from the kitchen, and then Rio's mother came into sight. Tucking a wayward strand of brown hair behind her ear, Rio's mother walked over to the table and placed a large, steaming plate of waffles in the middle of the table. Sitting down, she accepted her plate from her husband with a smile before turning to her daughter. _

"_Rio, you really should change out of your pajamas before coming to breakfast. It would be easier for you to get ready for school that way."_

_Glancing down at her strawberry patterned pjs, Rio looked back up at her mom and beamed, replying, "But mom, it just smelled so good…"_

_With a laugh, Rio's father reached over and ruffled his daughter's hair again before digging into the pile of waffles that he had accumulated on his plate. _

"_She'll fix herself up pretty after breakfast, Emily. Besides, Rio doesn't need to put on make-up or anything, right Rio?" _

_Instead of answering her father's question, Rio turned to her mother and said, "Mom, Claire said hello in her letter."_

_The instant her sister's name left her lips, her father grew silent and moody, grabbing his coffee and sipping at it before setting it down firmly at the table. Before his wife could reply, Rio's father got up and muttered, "I'll be heading to the office then. I'll see you later, Emily, Rio." Leaning down, he gave Rio a kiss on the cheek and kissed his wife before heading into the bedroom to grab his things. _

_In a whisper, Rio said, "Mom, why does he always get that way whenever I mention Claire?" The two women turned to look as Arthur walked out the door, briefcase in hand. As the door shut behind him, Rio's mother sighed before staring thoughtfully at her mug._

"_He's upset with both himself and Claire," Emily said, playing with the cup. Taking a sip of coffee, the woman smiled at her daughter with some melancholy and explained, "He's mad that she left, but he's mad that he never really tried to stop her from going. The two of them were like cats and dogs, you know that."_

"_Still," Rio pouted, pushing her barely touched waffles around on her plate, "He shouldn't get so grumpy. And he should be concerned about Claire too. Don't you guys miss her at all?" _

"_We do, although your father is loath to show it. I'm not worried about her though. Claire's always been strong."_

_With a grin, Rio pointed at herself, asking, "What about me? I'm strong too, right? I can leave soon and do something crazy like her, and have a farm or something, right?" _

_With a laugh, Rio's mother reached over and pulled her into a tight hug. Holding her as if she would never let her go, Emily laughed, "You're so delicate, like a porcelain doll! No, Rio, it's best that you stay here with us; we can take care of you that way. When the time comes, we'll let you go, but not a moment before then!"_

Rio was shaken out of her dream by a loud, echoing knock on her front door.

"Rio? Rio, are you awake?"

Sitting up quickly, the blond squinted at the room before remembering where she was. With a yelp, she fell out of bed clumsily as she woke up fully. Quickly scrubbing at her face to rid it of any drool, she jumped out of the bed and straightened her overalls. Trying to straighten out her knotted hair, she called, "Yes, I'm awake! I'll be out in a minute!"

* * *

The two women from the day before stood in front of Rio, smiling amiably at her as Dunhill introduced them to her. The younger one, Emma, gave a cheery wave while the older one, Hana, nodded with a large smile on her face.

"Emma will ship any items you put in her shipping bin, and you'll get money for it the next day," Dunhill explained. Gesturing at Hana, he continued, "And Hana here sells supplies like seeds and cooking ingredients…lots of things are at her store, so be sure to check it out."

"It's so nice to have a new neighbor," Emma said, smiling widely at Rio who blushed at the friendliness of the older woman. Coming forward, Emma patted Rio on the head before taking off, saying, "I'd love to stay and chat but I've got a business to run! I'll see you around, Rio!"

As Emma left, Rio turned her attention to Hana, who smiled up at her. Reaching up to also pat Rio on the head, the older woman said in a kindly voice, "You come right on down to the general store whenever you need something, alright Rio? I'll be waiting for you!"

Nodding at her, Hana left the farm as well, escorted off the land by Dunhill who tipped his hat in farewell at the young girl. Her guests gone, Rio turned to look at her farm before her stomach rumbled a little bit. Swiping at her mouth to confirm there was no drool there, Rio thought longingly of the waffles in her dream.

It was a pity they weren't real. With a sigh, she turned and went back into the house, hoping that she could make the food her sister packed for her last until she could afford her own cooking supplies.

* * *

**So, just in case you're all wondering: NEIL IS COMING. Seriously, he's on the way, I promise! I just felt like there needed to be some setup this time, not just rushing into the part of the story that I'm the most excited about (although I'm pretty sure you guys are all excited about it too). Also, Harvest Goddess exists in this story and so do Aaron and Alice, but they aren't going to directly talk to Rio-and you'll find out why in another chapter :P **

**Like that dream? That was important! To me, Rio can be a lot of things but in this story I want her to be the girl trying to break out of that protected state. She's trying to learn to fend for herself, even if she CAN be pretty clumsy and awkward XD It's an endearing awkward, to me at least XD **

**So anyways, reviews:**

**_Cotton Candy Mareep:_ Thanks for being the first to review! And thanks for being a returning reader with my harvest moon collection XD Don't worry, detail is something I plan on working with in this story :) **

**_Karisma Jester:_ Ah, another returning reader :) Thanks for the compliment, I hope I don't disappoint with this story!**

**_Aeoris:_ Hahahaha thanks, I love me a good tsundere myself, although to be honest Rod is pulling ALL my heartstrings with his "I think having a boyfriend like me would really help you out". It's so reminiscent of when my boyfriend was pursuing me that I'm inclined to want to just reach out and give him a hug XD I did read some of your stuff and I liked it! Very nice :)**

**umbreonix: Awww thanks :) I read your story and I really like it you know! I hope you like mine as much, continue to update yours as well! :) **

**Alright, well until the next update (Yes, yes, Neil will be there) and thanks for reading and reviewing! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

It was a week later that Rio woke to the sound of distressed 'moos' coming from her yard. Grumbling at having been woken earlier than expected, she rolled out of bed and trudged out the door without a second thought, banging the door open and holding her sheet to herself like a robe as she squinted at the morning sun and peered at her yard.

When she saw a large, ornery looking cow standing in her front yard, she blinked before walking up closer to the animal. She hadn't seen any farm animals since entering Echo Town, and although Dunhill had mentioned something about an animal trader he had said he would be back on the tenth of spring- which wasn't supposed to be until tomorrow.

With a look of extreme confusion on her face, Rio stared at the cow in silence, wondering if she was just dreaming or if she was actually awake. In return, the cow stared back, unmoving as the two took each other in.

A few moments passed before the cow hesitantly took a step towards her, then mooed cautiously and took a few more steps. When Rio didn't move, it came right up to her and pushed her with its head, causing her to stumble back a bit before it mooed at her once more and looked at her expectantly, like it was waiting to be petted. The nature of the cow caused Rio to break out into a giggle, before she stuck one of her arms out and patted the animal on the head.

"Good girl," Rio enthused, and the cow mooed even louder than before and nuzzled up against her palm. The blond smiled until she heard a voice yelling, "HEY! HEY COME BACK!"

Before she could make any sort of retreat into her house, Rio was greeted by the sight of a young male running down the path to her farm, an angry look on his face. The cow also turned its head to look at him, watching with unimpressed eyes as the man approached the two of them and stood still, slightly panting from his run.

Blinking, Rio took in his unruly spikes, the blond of his hair contrasting greatly with the deep red of his eyes. Adorned in a punk outfit, he seemed to stand out like a sore thumb in the middle of her dirty fields, the cow standing near him almost comical in the sense that it didn't fit his image at all. As she stood there staring, the man straightened up and glared, turning slightly red before muttering, "What're you looking at? And what's with that outfit?"

With a startled look at his rude attitude, Rio took a step back before remembering that she'd run out in just her bed sheets. Glancing down, she realized how ridiculous she looked; her blanket covered her awkwardly, and when she put a hand to her head she could feel some hair sticking up by quite a few inches. Turning a bright red, she turned around quickly and dashed back into the house, slamming the door behind her as she did so.

Still glaring, the man shook his head and walked over to the cow, grabbing it as he muttered under his breath.

The door banged open as Rio stepped out again, her mouth pressed into a thin line as she tried to hide her embarrassment at having been caught in her pajamas. She opened her mouth to explain something when the man turned a shoulder on her and said, "I brought a cow-it's a present from Dunhill. I'm just delivering…and explaining, since I'm guessing you don't know much about farming, do you?"

Curious, Rio frowned and asked, "How do you know that? Did Dunhill say something?"

At her words, the man shrugged carelessly before saying, "Maybe. Even if he hadn't, farming doesn't really look like your kind of thing."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rio asked, starting to feel a little angry as he gave her a look that said he thought she was stupid. Ignoring her question, he began to talk about the cow getting away from him. While he spoke, Rio tried to calm herself; true this person wasn't the friendliest of people, but there was still a chance she could salvage some sort of friendship with him.

Done explaining about the present from Dunhill, the man looked her over again before muttering, "My name is Neil, by the way. I'm the animal trader."

"Oh!" Rio's eyes brightened in recognition of the name. "Dunhill said you were coming back tomorrow though? I mean, it's great you were able to make it home safely and earlier, I just wasn't expecting-"

"Come on." Interrupting and ignoring Rio's talking, Neil turned and grabbed the cow by its collar, tugging it towards the barn. As Rio stood with her mouth agape at his lack of manners, he turned around and barked, "Are you coming or not? I have stuff to do today-I can't spend all my time here explaining what needs to be done with this cow."

Shutting her mouth, Rio folded her hands into fists and reminded herself to return words of kindness instead of blow up, the way she wanted to. As the animal trader entered her barn, she took a deep breath and followed after him.

* * *

"…And that's everything you need to know about taking care of a cow. Any questions?" Neil stared down the new farmer with a skeptical look in his eye, doubt written all over his face as Rio nodded and took the tools from him. As she turned to the cow and began to pet it again, smiling happily, he observed the goofy smile on her face as the cow mooed again and he shook his head.

Before his tutorial on caretaking, she'd introduced herself as Rio; she'd been all smiles and sunshine as she'd taken his unwilling hand and shaken it. Neil had never been one for people what with his awkward social skills (especially new ones) but the way this girl was so damn friendly and talkative was beginning to truly grate on his nerves. With the town crumbling around him, the last thing he wanted or needed was some naïve optimist coming in and failing miserably at farming. There was little to no doubt in his mind that this new girl would fail and would not only give up and leave, but would end up ruining what remained of the town and surrounding areas.

Her small frame, especially in comparison to his, didn't give Neil any encouragement to think that she could last long running a farm. It wasn't as if he knew what the girl was expecting from him anyways, as she'd been throwing smiles at him throughout the entire explanation, like her smiling would somehow turn them into best friends. Turning on his heel to go, he was about to march out when her voice called after him, "Wait!"

He stopped, but he didn't bother turning around; looking over his shoulder, he glared again and said, "What?"

Rio hesitated, before stepping away from the cow and saying loudly, "Thank you! For the cow, I mean, and the tools for it…"

Closing his eyes with irritation, Neil muttered, "I already told you, the cow isn't from me. That's old man Dunhill's present. And I've no use for those tools anyways. Was that all?"

At his rudeness, Rio finally snapped, "No, actually that isn't all. I DO have a question for you."

The change in her voice startled him for a moment; her gentle, soothing voice had become pitched with underlying anger, her tone seemingly dangerous as her words hung in the air between them.

Wanting to get out of the barn as soon as possible, Neil turned to face her before asking in a dead tone, "What. What is it now?

Rio crossed her arms, frowning before asking, "What did I do to you to piss you off this badly? I've just met you and you're acting like you hate me or something. I came here to be a part of this place-and I've thought about trying to help out and fix it!"

At her words, Neil gave her a look of surprise before grumbling, "You think you can just come here out of nowhere and solve all our problems? Who are you-the Harvest Goddess?" As Rio gaped at him, Neil scoffed, "I don't need to bother befriending some girl who'll probably leave soon anyways. Your constant smiling and over-friendliness is annoying."

All rationale flew out of Rio's head at his words, and the pretty girl retorted, "Well your shitty attitude is annoying."

Neil raised an eyebrow at her angry face before turning around and throwing her a careless wave. As he exited the barn, he called over his shoulder, "I sell animals and feed at my stall on the plaza. If you need something stop by but don't bother me unless it's important."

The moment he walked through the doors of the barn, Rio screamed in frustration before her hand shot out and she punched the wall. Instantly she regretted the action; nursing her now aching hand, the blond glared at the door where Neil had left before sticking her tongue out in a vengeful manner.

It had been years since anyone had irritated her enough to the point where she snapped back; Rio could count on one hand the number of times she'd been mean to someone. Sobering up, the blond stepped back and leaned against the wall of the barn, sliding down to a sitting position as the cow came over to her and nuzzled the top of her head.

"It isn't fair," Rio grumbled to herself. "He's being so rude…what else was I supposed to do?"

Cradling her hand, the blond closed her eyes and grimaced as she thought of the animal trader again. As emotion raged through her like a storm, she grumbled again under her breath and brought her knees up to her chest.

Throwing her head back, Rio muttered to her cow, "Ugh, he's a nightmare!"

* * *

With a sullen look, Neil watched the new farmer dump some things in the shipping bin before running off towards the river. From his vantage point in the square, it was easy to see that the girl had a bit of a limp as she disappeared down the path; Neil had no doubt that it was all the hard work she was doing.

Just as he was rolling his eyes at the idea of Rio farming, Hana walked up to his stall and smiled up at him in a friendly manner. Stopping to talk, the older woman asked, "How was your trip Neil? Did you find what you needed?"

His irritation with Rio subsiding, Neil looked away and murmured quietly, "No. They didn't have the animals I was looking for." Hana reached up and patted his hand, her kind smile causing Neil to look away and feel slightly guilty as the old woman began to talk about the new farmer.

As Hana went on and on about how Rio had been such a help in only a few days, Neil regretted speaking so harshly to her until the old woman chuckled, "She's having a tough time farming and living here, but she tries."

Looking at Hana with confusion, Neil asked, "What could be so hard about farming? Sure, taking care of crops can be a hassle but it isn't impossible. And there're plenty of things to ship from just foraging around if she needs to make money…"

Hana chuckled, holding a hand up to her mouth as she said, "She's such a sweet girl, and she tries so hard, but she's very clumsy."

Neil raised an eyebrow at this news. "Oh?" the animal trader asked, wondering just how clumsy one could be to make even Hana laugh at it.

Still chuckling lightly, the old woman explained, "She's gotten repeatedly lost in the area, and she keeps asking for directions with things that most people just assume. Her common sense doesn't always seem to kick in when she needs it." Shaking her head, Hana smiled at Neil, who scowled at a nearby bush in return.

His lack of faith in the new farmer was already beginning to grow; he hated people who caused trouble for others, and by the sound of things that was what Rio was doing to the remaining people of the town. Before he could ask more, Hana patted his hand again and said, "Well, I'd best be off. Do try and make friends with her though, she's really a very nice girl for all her clumsiness. And she doesn't give up easily either-I feel she'll be with us for a very long time!"

Neil half-heartedly waved the old woman off as he looked down and saw the farmer returning from the forest area with a smile on her face, being led by Dunhill who was laughing. The animal trader watched as Rio dumped some things into the shipping bin and then bowed several times to Dunhill as if she was apologizing for something. Waving it off, the older man continued to laugh as he said good-bye to her and the two went their separate ways, Rio heading towards the farm as she did so.

Glaring after the farmer, Neil muttered aloud, "I can't stand stupid people."

* * *

**Oh Neil, just you wait...just you wait. You'll learn to love yet. XD**

**I'm having so much fun writing this story that I have to restrain myself from posting everything I have like right now because I just keep getting randomly inspired and type until I realize that I've ****missed lunchtime because of it! Either way, thanks all for reading it :)**

**Reviews!:**

**LeighEm: Thanks :) I hope that it was good when you said my characters were very in character XD I hope they're not boring! I also hope I got Neil right...I mean, no Neil is ever really going to be the same since people all write differently, but I hope I got the general gist of him. And I really couldn't bear keeping him out so long, I LIVE for writing romance, it's pretty much my forte when it comes to writing XD Thank you for reviewing and reading though! :)**

**umbreonix: Hahaha that's probably something she would have done if her caring side didn't kick in-I mean, if I was panicking enough I probably would do it without thinking and then watch as they sputtered to life and flailed around in the water XD When I look at the character I've created out of Rio, I see my MC in the game. She's super hardworking and willing to do pretty much anything, and she always does it without much complaint! So I wanted to model her that way :) I'm glad you think she's adorable too!**

Aerois: I feel like that can be true, and I kind of understand it and have done it myself but I don't really see this farmer as being like that. I mean, she looks SUPER happy on the cover of the game. I couldn't make her sad at all XD

Well thanks for the reads and reviews again, you guys are kind of the best :) I'll update again soon! Until then :)


	4. Chapter 4

The animal trader blinked.

Then he blinked again and rubbed his eyes, before jumping out of his chair at the breakfast table and running to the window to get a closer look. To his surprise, Rio was standing in front of his house, gesturing at it with a displeased look on her face while a girl with a long, dark ponytail stood next to her, nodding impassively. When Rio stopped gesturing at the house and looked down at the window, her eyes made contact with Neil's. Before he could react, Rio's face changed from displeased to disgusted, and she stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing the other girl by the hand and running off with her.

Not caring about her rude action towards him, Neil trudged back to his table and sat down, picking at his food thoughtfully. Curious as to who the new person was and why on earth she was with Rio, Neil looked down at his meal before abandoning it and getting up again. He walked over to his door and grabbed his long red coat along the way, shrugging it on as he vowed to get to the bottom of this mystery by asking Dunhill.

* * *

"Why did you act like that towards that boy?" Iroha asked the farm girl. After meeting that morning in the mountain area,Rio and Hana had taken the blacksmith back to the town with them and introduced her to the ecstatic Dunhill. Once things had been settled, Rio had all but dragged Iroha out of her new house and insisted on showing her around the empty town.

Genuinely interested in being her friend, Rio had eagerly talked and laughed with the girl until the two had crossed Neil's house. The two of them had ended the tour at Rio's farm, and as they sat on the dock at the edge of the land Iroha persisted, "I just don't think it was very nice…Did you not say you've only lived in this town for a couple of weeks now?"

"Yeah…" Rio admitted with reluctance, as Iroha gave the blond a reproachful look. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Rio burst out, "Okay, I'll explain." With a loud sigh, the pretty girl launched into the story of how she'd first met Neil; from her bed sheets to his disbelief in her, Iroha was spared no details from the farmer.

After hearing everything, the blacksmith was quiet as she watched Rio panting with frustration, the very thought of what had happened making the farmer's face contort with irritation. Sitting back, Iroha said thoughtfully, "It seems like he's very unwilling to trust anyone…especially you, since Dunhill seems to believe you are going to be the savior of this town."

"What? Dunhill doesn't think that!"

The blacksmith gave the farmer a look akin to that of a mother scolding her child before saying, "It's obvious that he thinks so. The way he talks of you is with a respect and reverence many elderly don't have for young adults like us."

Straightening up a little, Rio asked, "Really? He respects me?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

Rio made a face before explaining, "I'm really bad at doing things …My sister Claire always made fun of me for it when we were little. I have to try a lot of times before I succeed at things, and I'm pretty clumsy about everything; whether it's just simple directions or whatever, I usually find a way to mess it up. People have always cleaned up after my messes though, and fixed it for me."

The blacksmith stood up and stretched before turning back to the farmer and saying, "It's an admirable trait to try over and over again…but maybe you should also consider learning to truly do things for yourself. Since you've said you came here to grow, why not do so by becoming a more careful person? Just think things through carefully, and I'm sure you'll get them right the first time."

* * *

A few mornings later, Rio found herself being woken by a knocking once more. At the sound of her name being yelled from her doorstep, Rio rolled out of bed reluctantly before muttering, "I have seriously got to tell Dunhill to stop waking me up like this…"

Throwing her clothes on and combing out her hair with her fingers, the farmer opened the door and walked out to see all of the townspeople gathered on her lawn. They were talking in a small group, and in the midst of them stood two strangers; a dark, curvaceous woman stood smiling proudly next to a little boy that looked to be her son. When Rio came up to the group, Neil scowled visibly before turning his attention to Dunhill and asking, "Are we ready then?"

Forgetting how she felt about Neil, Rio asked blankly, "Ready for what?"

Dunhill laughed and held his hands up before saying, "Slow down, Neil, I haven't even explained what we're doing anyways!" Turning to the confused farmer, the older man explained, "These two people here are Rebecca and her son, Toni. They've come to live in this town, and Rebecca is an architect who wants to help us bring more people back by constructing buildings from blueprints she plans on making. The only problem is we don't have a place for them to stay…"

Taking over from Dunhill, the dark skinned woman spoke up and said, "As I've told the others, I already have a house plan drawn out. We just need to gather the required material." Her sharp eyes narrowing in on Rio, Rebecca asked, "Will you help us, Rio?"

Without second thought, Rio nodded and the entire group (except Neil) smiled at her endearingly. As they all set off towards the mountain area to gather materials, the group fell into a procession. Rebecca and Iroha led the way, while Dunhill and Emma helped Hana not far behind. Neil reluctantly followed behind them, rolling his eyes as Rio took Toni's hand and skipped with him towards the front of the group.

When they reached the mountain, they all spread out to search for the materials needed to build the house for the newcomers. Neil was quick to glare at Rio when she attempted to search near him. Frowning, the farmer stood up and hissed, "What is your problem anyways? Didn't you ever learn how to play nice in kindergarten?"

"Stop whining and start looking. I hate lazy people," Neil said shortly, causing Rio's face to flare in an angry blush as she turned swiftly on her heel and stomped off towards another area to search.

* * *

There was visible shock on Neil's face as Rebecca and Rio walked back towards the farm, chatting about how the blond could start building the house right away with the use of the studio on the farm. As the two walked off and Toni chased after them, the animal dealer turned to Dunhill and asked, "Seriously? You're going to let _RIO_ build her house?"

Looking at Neil and shaking his head, Dunhill laughed, "Give the girl a chance Neil! I know how you are about new people-"

"This isn't even about her being someone I barely know," Neil cut off Dunhill, turning back to look at Rio's back as the farmer left the town. "This is about her being a klutz. Not only has she repeatedly gotten lost, but she's also tripped near my stall and spilled milk all over my counter, not to mention Hana had to tell her that she didn't need to water grass in order for it to grow. Why are we letting her build a house?"

"It'll be good for her," Dunhill reassured the doubtful young man. "Her father, Arthur Foster, lived on that farm for awhile. In fact, he was quite the architect himself, which is why when he left for school and made a full career of it no one in town was surprised. I'm sure she's inherited some of his skill-besides that, she's trying. She's come here to make a new start of things, so let's encourage her, alright?"

Grunting in a non-committal manner, Neil crossed his arms and frowned as the two waited to see the end result of Rio's carpenter skills.

* * *

"Wow…it's pretty cool!" Toni clapped, beaming up at the small white house that stood before the three people. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Rio smiled at him and agreed, "Yeah, it is. It took me two days, but I did it, and I didn't even make any mistakes!"

Rebecca walked closer to Rio, slapping her heartily on the back and causing the farmer to wince. Looking up at the house, the architect approved, "Fine work, Rio. You've got a real knack for carpentry…who knew?"

"Well, my dad was an architect so I guess it might of rubbed off a little on me," Rio admitted sheepishly, blushing at Rebecca's comment. Shaking her head, the older woman turned to look at the blond before saying, "Influence is no substitute for talent. You have a way with things, and that comes from you and not from someone else's legacy. I hope you continue to use that talent more in the future!"

As Rebecca grabbed Toni's hand and entered the house, Rio took a few steps back and stretched before admiring her handiwork once more. She'd really done it; not only had she built a whole house by herself, but she'd done it right the first time and she'd done it well. It was enough to cause the blond to break out into a giant grin, before she turned and skipped happily down the road to her own place. As she passed Neil's house, she slowed down a bit before meeting eyes with the animal dealer.

Having doubted her, the animal trader had sat on the short brick wall that surrounded his house and watched her for the two days of construction. Although he hated to admit it, Rio had done a good job-the idea that she had helped had Neil frowning. He hadn't expected anything of her, and when he saw how much good she was doing the town he began to feel inadequate, as if his presence wasn't helping much at all.

As if she could read his thoughts, the farmer called out snidely, "So, what have you done for the town lately, Neil?"

Unable to come up with something to say back, the animal trader narrowed his eyes, before saying nothing and jumping off the wall. Without a word or another look at the farmer, he walked into his house and slammed the door.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Rio muttered under her breath, before the smile returned to her face and she headed towards Iroha's house for tea.

* * *

Dunhill stood in front of the confused farmer, hands on his hips as he smiled proudly at her. As Rio held the small booklet, the old man crowed, "Well? What do you think of it?"

"I mean…I'm sorry Dunhill, I'm kind of lost…"

At Rio's reply, Dunhill just laughed before pointing at the booklet and saying, "Don't worry about it, Rio! Well, after you built Rebecca's house so nicely and managed to figure out how we could keep Iroha, I couldn't help but feel like you could help us rebuild the town!"

At the thought of building so many building, Rio blanched before shakily saying, "Rebuild the whole town? Myself?"

Not noticing her worried expression, Dunhill continued on saying, "You're so capable, and you did such a nice job with Rebecca's house! That's just one of five restoration plans I have! Don't worry, I'll give them to you in increments so you won't be overwhelmed."

Unable to bring herself to reject the proud Dunhill's ideas, Rio looked at the ground and said with a small smile, "Well, I suppose I can give it a go…"

"Great!" Dunhill exclaimed, and turning to leave he called cheerfully over his shoulder, "We'll all be sure to support you, Rio!"

With a weak laugh, Rio waved him off her farm before sighing and sinking to the ground with a loud groan. As she flipped through the booklet, she leaned against her fence and frowned, her eyes scanning the first three tasks that awaited her.

Complaining to no one in particular, she mumbled, "How does he expect me to do this?"

"I know-it's just stupid."

At the sound of Neil's voice behind her, Rio screamed in surprise and stood up abruptly, head-butting straight into Neil's chin. As the animal dealer stepped back swearing loudly at the pain, Rio turned around and clutched at her chest frantically, gasping, "What kind of creep are you, sneaking up on people like that?"

Neil gave her a look of irritation before snapping, "I wasn't creeping around, I just came over to make sure you haven't killed your cow yet and happened to overhear Dunhill entrusting his plan to you to restore the town. Of all the people in town, I can't believe he chose you…"

Instantly offended, Rio put a hand on her hip and then reached up with her other hand to rub at the top of her head, where a faint ache at head-butting Neil was throbbing. Frowning, she pointed out, "I don't see anyone else who's made any efforts to try and help the town out. Sure, it won't be easy but I'm pretty sure I can do it…"

As Rio's voice trailed off, Neil snickered before leaning against the fence and giving her a skeptical look. The pain in his chin subsiding, he said, "Pretty sure. Great. The fate of the town rests in the hands of someone who doesn't know a thing and doesn't have enough backbone to tell someone no. Just fantastic."

Rio opened her mouth to retort back when Neil swung a leg over the fence and then jumped it before turning a cold shoulder to her and saying, "When you fail, make sure you bring the cow back to me. I want to make sure it's properly taken care of."

"You…" Rio growled after Neil's retreating figure. As the animal dealer left her farm Rio narrowed her eyes at him, then looked back at the booklet in her hands. "I'll show him..." Clenching her hands around the booklet tightly, she turned on her heel and headed towards the studio.

* * *

**So obviously, they are not going to instantly fall in love with each other XD **

**Okay, enough rant, time to answer the reviews!:**

**Aerois: Hahaha I really do feel like he is kind of a jerk at first. T****hat's seriously how he comes off in the beginning of the game...I mean, he's all business and even when you talk to him at his store he's like "don't bother me unless it's important. Just leave" and then he'll be walking around on my farm early in the morning but when I talk to him he gets all snotty and tells me "why do I have to see your face from sun-up?" He literally says stuff like that XD That, and when you're building the town up and stuff when you meet new people the screen usually blacks out and then your character says "I hope we can become good friends!" ****It TOTALLY doesn't say that for Neil, so to me that means a lot since it says that for just about everyone else (minus like, Hana, Emma and Dunhill who are all nice to you when you talk to them). Then again, i might also be looking at it way too much but...well, yeah XD Also, glad you like clumsy Rio XD**

**Pixelsaber: Thanks tons for your review :) I'm really glad you like the characters, I'm doing my best with them since I haven't finished the game and am still playing along as I write XD **

**Pretty soon I'll stop answering reviews here in my author's note, but I've found with some of my other stories that it's nice to answer reviews at first :) I like interacting with my readers, and hearing opinions and letting them know what goes on in my brain when I write XD After this post though I'm most likely going to revert to an overall response instead of answering individual reviews, unless someone specifically asks a question or something XD**

**Well, until the next update, see you then! :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

The animosity between the farmer and the animal dealer continued to grow as spring went on. It was obvious to those living in the town that Rio had stopped trying a long time ago to be friendly to the animal dealer; everyday she would go around greeting everyone and giving out gifts, yet would always make it a point to give Neil nothing but a glare and a cold shoulder. Not that the animal trader seemed to mind; he would watch her with an unimpressed look on his face and continue his business without even stopping to blink an eye as Rio passed him with her daily glare.

While this happened, a stylist by the name of Allen moved in, along with a reporter named Tina. The two new residents to the town gave Rio even more of an excuse to avoid talking to Neil; she reasoned that she didn't have any time to bother with the unfriendly animal dealer.

It wasn't until late spring that an incident occurred, allowing the two to begin a tentative sort of friendliness.

* * *

There was a frantic pounding on Neil's door as the young man sat on his bed, fiddling around with his bass. One glance at his clock told him that it was nine, and another glance outside at the darkness had the animal dealer wondering who could possibly be knocking. When the pounding sound persisted, Neil lay his bass down carefully before walking up to his door and throwing it open. To his surprise, Rio was standing in front of his door.

"What do you want?" the blond barked at the farmer. He was surprised when she didn't snap back the way she normally did; ignoring his rude attitude, she asked if he had seen Toni lately. Instead of answering her question, Neil furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Why do you want to know?"

Losing her patience, Rio cried, "He's missing, okay? Look, it's already late and his mom has been asking everyone if they've seen him and you're the only one we haven't asked…"

Grabbing his coat, Neil asked sharply, "Does everyone know?"

Without waiting for an answer, he bounded past Rio and headed towards Dunhill's house, knowing that it was often the gathering place for the residents when something important had come up. Rio followed behind him, stumbling and tripping as she tried to keep up with his fast pace.

Huffing, she said, "Yes, we're all gathered at Dunhill's and they're organizing search parties as we speak."

"Good."

The two walked on in silence, but as they approached Dunhill's house they noticed all the lights were off. In a panic, both ran up to the house only to find a note pinned on the door explaining everything. With a stony tone, Neil read, "We've all split up into groups of twos and headed towards our designated areas. I've paired you and Neil to head towards the forest area; since it's a smaller area to search you will be the only group there. We're all going to check back in town within an hour since he can't have wandered far."

Glancing down, the two stunned young adults beheld the little glass lantern that Dunhill had left them. As much as the two hated the idea of working together on anything, the thought of Toni drove them into action. Picking up the lantern, Neil lit it before turning his back on Rio and muttering, "Let's hurry up and hope we find him."

* * *

As the two entered the dark forest, Neil glanced back and noticed that Rio was tailing very close to him. Not only did she have her head down, but she seemed to shivering at the cool night air. Irritation rising, Neil attempted to suppress it as he pointed at a shaded area and said, "Let's try there first."

Rio nodded quietly, and the two walked over to the area and searched without speaking until Neil couldn't resist. Looking over at her, he asked, "Are you just going to stand there shivering or are you actually going to search?"

At his comment, Rio's head snapped up and she growled, "Stop m-mocking me and just focus on your area. Let's just find Toni and get out of here, it's dark and cold…"

In a condescending voice, Neil imitated her, saying, "'It's dark and cold…' How old are you anyways? Grow up and do something for once, instead of standing there with that look on your face."

Her anger rising, Rio turned to look at him with a death glare and asked, "And exactly what look would that be?"

"You know," Neil accused, tension running high as the two stared each other down in the dark. "The one where you look like you're so helpless. Just because you put that face on it doesn't mean someone it going to come to your rescue every single time."

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do," Neil interrupted Rio's protests. "You think because you're the new farmer you're some sort of special, and that because you're a girl and your dad lived here before and knew Dunhill you can just do whatever you want. Well I'm sick and tired of your clumsiness-you're irritating and I really hate you, you know that?"

Tears began to well up in the corner of Rio's eyes; no one had ever said anything like that to her before. Sure, Neil had said rude things before, but hearing him actually say the word hate was a lot more hurtful than she had thought it would be. Scrubbing at her eyes to avoid letting him know he'd actually hurt her, Rio turned and marched off further into the forest by herself, calling out behind her, "Well I hate you too! So there!"

Neil watched her go with an eyebrow raised at the way she had just thrown the insult over her shoulder. "What is she, five?" he wondered aloud, watching her fleeing figure disappearing into the darkness. As she left though, the animal dealer felt a small twinge in his gut at how he'd treated the farmer.

He tried to shake it off, but as he stood there Neil began to feel a bit guilty for how he'd snapped at her. True, he was irritated with her on a daily basis, but with the stress of a missing villager he had lashed out at her without even thinking. Half of the things he said he knew weren't true, and he knew more than anyone that Rio didn't throw around her father's name like it was something to be feared.

Cursing under his breath, Neil closed his eyes before turning and running after her.

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" the animal trader called after Rio as he chased her through the forest.

"No, you're just going to make more fun of me!"

"Get back here," Neil growled, "I'm trying to apologi-"

Just as he tried to say the word 'apologize', Neil watched Rio's foot slip on the pathway that led to the upper part of the forest. As she screamed and fell backwards, his mind went blank. Without thinking, he dropped the lantern and rushed forward, catching the farmer between his outstretched arms.

With a thump, she flew into him and sent both of them crashing to the ground. As Neil hit the dirt, he grit his teeth and his grip on Rio tightened. They slid to a stop quickly, and both sat still with shock from what had just happened. For a few minutes the two continued sit on the ground, both of them breathing hard from their running. One of Neil's arms supported him in a sitting position; the other arm was wrapped protectively around Rio's stomach, with her back to his chest. As they sat there, trying to catch their breath, Neil realized that Rio's skin was freezing and that she was trembling, obviously still scared from her fall. Then he wondered how he could feel her skin and to his surprise he realized his arm was still around her in a protective position, causing the two of them to be in a hugging position as a few strands of her hair tickled his chin.

They sat in silence like that until Neil slowly slid his arm off of her and scooted back, getting to his feet easily. Looking down at where Rio sat, he stuck his hand out begrudgingly; Rio took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

The farmer found herself unable to look at Neil. Not only was embarrassed at how clumsy she was, but she didn't want to face him so soon after having such a fight. When his coat dropped on her head though, Rio looked up in surprise to see Neil staring at the sky with a light blush on his face.

"Look…I'm sorry, okay?" Neil apologized awkwardly.

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Rio replied quietly, "I forgive you."

Turning around to pick up the lantern, Neil said curtly, "Good. That's over with. Let's go find Toni."

As he marched off, Rio reached up and felt his coat, marveling in the fact that the material was soft with the sweet smell of hay, and very warm. As it dropped to her shoulders and covered her small frame, the farmer jerked out of her daze when Neil called, "Hurry up!"

Looking up, Rio saw him waiting for her impatiently at the bottom of the path she had just slipped on. Her hand tightening on the coat, she yelled back, "Coming!" before running up to where he waited for her.

* * *

Rebecca ran from the group of villagers to the approaching figures of Neil and Rio as they walked out of the forest with a third figure in tow. As the strong woman approached the three, she sighed in relief to see Toni fast asleep in Neil's arms. Thanking them profusely, the mother moved to take her son but Neil refused.

"I'll put him in bed," he insisted, "You go with Emma and Hana to have a cup of tea and calm down." As the woman steered Rebecca over to the general store to relax, Neil turned in the other direction and headed towards the architect's house. Rio hesitated, then followed behind him, still carrying the lantern.

Tina exclaimed, "Well now I have a news story for the next paper…" while Allen muttered something about Rio's hair before both turned to walk off towards their houses.

Iroha and Dunhill watched the two disappearing, and as Rio fell into step with Neil the blacksmith smiled to herself. Turning to Dunhill, she said, "I'm going to go home, then."

"Thanks for helping with the search, Iroha," Dunhill said, tipping his hat as the blacksmith left. Watching as Neil and Rio entered Rebecca's house, he smiled too before turning towards his home and whistling cheerfully as he walked off.

Inside the architect's house, Rio stood by with a slight smile on her face as Neil lay Toni down carefully on the bed. As the little boy snuggled happily into his sheets, Rio set the lantern down on a nearby table and leaned down to blow the light out. As darkness enveloped the house, Neil turned to see her holding out his coat with a strange look on her face.

Wondering what she could possibly have to say to him, Neil asked in a sharp whisper, "What's with that face?"

At the return of his rudeness, Rio's mouth twisted into a pout before she shoved the coat at him and said with slight reluctance, "Thanks. For the coat."

"Wha-oh, yeah." Taking his coat back, Neil suddenly became glad of the darkness; it hid the fact that he was beginning to turn pink. Throwing it over his shoulder, he motioned that the two of them needed to leave. As they closed the door softly behind them, Neil muttered to Rio, "Just so you know, this doesn't make us friends."

"Yeah, I know."

At that, the two glanced each other quickly before glancing away. There was an awkward moment of silence, then Rio burst out, "Well, I'm going. Later."

"Later."

Neil watched her speed off towards her farm, no doubt glad to get away from him. With a sigh, he shook his head before heading back to his own place.

* * *

**Neil, you big softie...helping her out even though you still don't like her!**

**Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and reads so far! :) I know Neil is a big butthead, but there shall be changes like this; slow, small, and sweet :) And they shall be GLORIOUS!**

**You guys are all awesome for reading, and I can't wait to see you all on the next update! :) Possibly tommorow XD Bye for now, and have a great memorial day!**


	6. Chapter 6

The summer sun seemed to glower down on Rio as she stood up and frowned at her field. From where he sat on her fence, Toni swung his feet and called, "Are you done farming yet Rio? Let's go play with Neil!"

Walking over to Toni and giving him her usual sweet smile, Rio chastised gently, "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to play with Neil, and I seriously don't think he wants to play with me!"

While Toni complained that the two of them never talked, Rio just smiled and patted him softly on the head. Ever since the incident in the forest, Neil and Rio had continued to avoid each other, although it seemed as though they'd reached a point where they were slightly more amiable to each other. Rather than exchanging glares, the two would now exchange short nods of acknowledgement as they passed in town. Though it was far from friendly, it was a big improvement on how the two had treated each other before.

Rio was so busy staring at her field and wondering how best to plant her crops that she didn't notice when Toni stopped talking, until the boy tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Rio, there's a man over there and he's staring at you."

Glancing up at the entrance of her farm, Rio looked up and was surprised to see a young man her age standing uncertainly on the path. Short orange spikes were slightly flattened by a pair of goggles, and a yellow vest adorned the figure as he stood there on the path staring back at Rio.

Without a second thought, the farmer's face broke into a large smile and she waved happily at the figure, calling out, "Hello! Come on over!"

At her friendly invitation, the boy's face broke out into a smile that matched Rio's, and as he jogged over he nearly tripped before straightening up and walking over to Toni and Rio with a now bashful grin. He came to a short stop as he approached Rio and thrust his hand out enthusiastically before exclaiming, "Hey! I'm…uh…well I'm new-no wait, you know that…well I came to-" As the boy fumbled over his words, Rio giggled before taking his hand and squeezing it in a friendly manner.

As she gave him another happy smile, he became even more flustered before bursting out, "My name's Rod! What's yours?"

"I'm Rio," the farmer introduced herself, before pointing at the boy behind her and saying, "And this is Toni. I run this farm and do some construction for the town, and Toni here is the son of our resident architect."

At the mention of construction, Rod brightened up and said, "Oh! So you're the one who built my house? It's great! Thanks a lot!"

Pleased with the compliment, Rio invited him to stay for lunch, and as the two walked towards the house with Toni running ahead, Rod explained that he had come to run a pet shop. Lunch was a pleasant experience, with Rod joking and talking happily with both Toni and Rio the entire time. As afternoon came all too soon, Rod offered to walk Toni home.

"It was really fun hanging out with you! I'm glad we're going to be in the same town," Rod said as he and Rio stood by the farmhouse door and Toni ran around in circles in Rio's yard. Leaning against the doorframe, Rio smiled and replied, "I had fun too. Come by whenever you want!"

As the two boys walked off her farm, waving in good-bye, Rio waved after them before settling back against her doorframe with a smile still lingering on her face.

"It'll be nice to have a good friend like Rod," she murmured to herself, before smiling one last time and turning around and heading back inside.

* * *

A few days later, Rod stood up and surveyed his house proudly while his dog barked and pranced around him. It had taken him a bit, but he'd finally unpacked all of his belongings and as he stood there looking at everything he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride that he'd managed to set everything up perfectly. With a satisfied nod, he turned to look out the window and decided that it was a perfect day to go out and meet some more people in town.

Rod reached down to scratch his dog behind the ears before talking to her in a friendly voice. "Let's go meet some people, huh Abby?" With a woof, the dog wagged her tail in agreement before bounding outside only to be followed by her owner.

Walking outside, he looked left and right before his eyes settled on a nearby building-the red brick house stood in the sunlight with an inviting glow. A happy smile already lighting his face, the young man all but bounced up to the red door before knocking on it loudly.

Looking up from his stove where he was just starting to make lunch, Neil frowned before crossing his fingers and praying it wasn't anything important-or worse, that it was Rio. Walking up to the door, he took a deep breath before opening it to be greeted by Rod's friendly face. It was so reminiscent of Rio's initial attitude with him that Neil almost shut the door on his face when he noticed a dog standing at his feet.

The two stared at each other, and then the dog wagged its tail enthusiastically; Neil turned pink just a bit at the cute animal before clearing his throat and meeting Rod's gaze.

"Hi." He said cautiously, looking Rod over again as if there was something different about the person who stood on his doorstep. Oblivious to what had just happened, Rod replied loudly, "Hi! I'm your new neighbor, just thought I'd come over and introduce myself!"

When Neil didn't say anything, Rod continued, "I run the new pet shop, my name is Rod! I'm sure you've heard Allen mention me a few times…"

Neil furrowed his eyebrows, racking his brain until the name 'Allen' clicked. Pairing the name with the image of the haughty, tall redhead, Neil made a face before saying bluntly, "Nope. He's never mentioned you."

"Oh…" Rod's happy smile fell for a second, and he looked so much like a kicked puppy that Neil immediately felt bad. Trying to cover up for what he'd just said, the animal trader coughed and muttered, "I mean, I don't really pay attention to him when he talks anyways because I think he's kind of annoying, but I'm sure he's probably said something about you."

Neil hid a sigh of relief as Rod perked right back up, then the animal trader looked down at the dog who was still wagging her tail at his feet. Carefully, Neil asked, "So…is she yours?"

Following his gaze, Rod looked down at his dog before bursting out, "What? Oh yeah, this is Abby! Abby, say hi to…uh, what's your name?"

As the dog sat and held its paw out for a handshake, Neil knelt down and smiled, taking its paw. Looking up at Rod, he said, "Neil. I'm Neil…you said your name was Rod, right? And this is Abby…it's nice to meet you two."

Pleased with how Neil seemed to be getting along with his dog, Rod tilted his head to the side and smiled even wider as he exclaimed, "It's nice to meet you too; it's pretty cool that you and Abby are getting along so well. I found her on the streets awhile back so she's pretty shy around strangers…you have a way with animals for her to be so happy to meet you right off the bat!"

A little flustered, but happy with the compliment, Neil stood up and explained, "Thanks. I mean, I'm the local animal dealer so I work with animals myself." As the two stood on the doorstep they began to talk about animals. They moved on from that topic and had started talking about a band that it turned out they mutually liked when Rod's stomach growled loudly.

As Rod turned a brilliant shade of red with embarrassment, Neil glanced back at his kitchen where his lunch remained unprepared. Glancing down, the animal trader scuffed at the ground with his shoe before saying, "Do you want to come in and have lunch with me? We can keep talking…"

At Neil's words, Rod beamed before saying happily, "Really? Thanks!"

Hesitantly returning Rod's smile, Neil stood back and allowed his new friend to walk in before he walked after him and shut the door quietly behind them.

* * *

"Rio," Tina said impatiently as she sat watching the farmer working on yet another building, "Have you noticed anything strange about Neil lately?"

Only half paying attention, Rio looked at the other girl blankly and asked, "What? No, why?"

At Rio's reply, Tina sighed before admitting, "Well, I suppose it's no use asking you that since you're oblivious-"

"I am not oblivious!"

Waving off Rio's indignant statement, Tina continued saying, "Anyways, he and Rod have become good friends…they hang out all the time!"

Iroha, who had been sitting next to Tina silently during this whole conversation, spoke up saying, "It's not that much of a surprise though."

As both girls turned to look at the blacksmith, Iroha pointed out, "They're both in the animal business. It's only natural they're going to have things in common and things to talk about."

Tina beamed at Iroha, jumping out and hugging the blacksmith before turning to Rio and proclaiming, "Exactly! Iroha gets it!"

"Why is this important anyways?" Rio asked as she stood back and consulted her building plans again. Tina opened her mouth to answer when a haughty voice replied, "Because it's important to notice things, Rio. Like when a standoffish guy like Neil makes a friend-it means there's a chance of him changing how he feels about being friends with everyone, and that includes you."

While Tina giggled and Iroha looked on curiously, the tall man who ran the salon walked up to where Rio was standing and placed his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder as he glanced at her plans in an uninterested manner. Smiling mischievously at the farmer, Allen said, "You really should learn to notice things, Rio. Like me."

Blinking, Rio turned slightly pink before squirming under Allen's relentless grip.

"Allen, stop I'm trying to work…it's not nice to tease people…"

"I never said I was nice."

As Tina and Iroha laughed and watched the antics of the two friends, Rod walked up the path with a happy whistle. In one hand he held a basket with treats he had made to share with Rio, but when he saw Allen shamelessly teasing a blushing Rio, Rod ran up to the scene and began to complain loudly about Allen's manners.

While Rod pouted and Allen smirked at his friend, Rio stood with a look of discomfort on her face as she stood squished between the two boys, both of them with their arms wrapped around her in a hug. As she mouthed the words 'help me' to Tina and Iroha, the two girls just laughed harder at the whole situation.

With a sigh, Rio suddenly realized the whole group was being watched by another party, and her eyes traveled up the path to see Neil standing on it. There was a look of disgust on his face at everyone's antics, but as Rio watched she saw the look falter for a second as a somewhat lonely frown came across his face. Then their eyes made contact and the look of disgust returned with full force before Neil rolled his eyes and turned around, walking back the way he had come.

Wondering what she had just seen, Rio finally managed to struggle out of the boys' grasp before saying, "Allen, you really shouldn't just flirt with everybody you see…"

* * *

**Allen, while not overly flirtatious in the game, does seem to me like the type to tease people. His overconfidence in everything and the way he views Rio is the same way he views Rod; someone who will be extremely flustered by teasing! Also, Rio is innocent enough to believe that Allen's just flirting with her and doesn't actually realize that he's just having fun in his own weird, twisted way. **

**I think I based a lot of his personality here on how he acts when you're pursuing him XD You know, asking you to say things cutely to him, or that one heart event where he asks you if you like having him touch your hair (and then he mentions having magic fingers). He's an interesting character to me, to say the least XD**

Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me :) Until the next update, you guys are awesome!


	7. Chapter 7

Neil was growing impatient as he glanced at the clock. Dinner was something the animal trader usually did not like to wait for, but as he had promised Rod they'd go to the new restaurant together he was waiting to eat. It was already twenty minutes past the time Rod had said he would come by to grab Neil, and finally the animal trader stood up in irritation before snatching his coat from where it hung and walking outside.

As he glared around, he noticed Allen leaning against Tina's fence and talking to her animatedly about something. With a slight sigh, he walked over to them and watched as the two continued to talk to each other, so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice him there at all.

Before Allen could finish what he was saying to Tina about city styles, Neil cleared his throat loudly and caught the two's attention as he stood on the path with an awkward look on his face. Clearing his throat again, Neil asked, "Sorry to interrupt…have you seen Rod around?"

"Yeah, he went over to Rio's. Why?" Tina asked, an interested gleam coming into her eyes as she leaned forward to talk to Neil. Shrugging, Neil turned around and headed off towards Rio's farm while the two friends watched him go.

They stood in silence, until Tina said mysteriously, "Something is going to happen…I just know it."

Looking over at the reporter with a raised eyebrow, Allen asked, "Oh? Like what, a fight? We all know how much Rio and Neil hate each other; it's a wonder that Rod manages to keep friendships with them both. Then again, even when the two of us were kids he was always like that, friendly to everyone…"

"Rio's friendly to everyone too, but I guess Neil is the exception, huh?" Tina observed, before a wicked grin spread across her face and she leaned towards Allen and said excitedly, "Hey, what if Neil LIKES her?"

Giving Tina a look that made her feel stupid, Allen laughed, "Really, Tina? You of all people should be able to see that they can't seem to stand each other."

With a pout, Tina huffed, "Well it's not impossible. Rio's really pretty, and nice, so I'm pretty sure Rod's already got a crush on her…"

"Oh there's no doubt," Allen smirked at Tina. "Like I said, Rod and I were kids together. Every time he had a crush on a girl he'd do the same thing; he'd bring her stuff and always want to hang out with her. I can read him like a book."

Eyeing the stylist, Tina asked suspiciously, "Well what about you? Do you like Rio?"

With a toss of his head, Allen flicked his bangs out of his eyes before shrugging and saying, "Maybe. She's cute and fun to flirt with since she's so innocent but…I don't really think she's my type."

"Oh, and what is your type?"

"Do you ever stop playing reporter and have a normal conversation?" Allen gave Tina a look and she grinned back before saying, "I'll answer your question if you answer mine!"

Turning to watch as Neil disappeared from the path, Allen muttered, "Oh, alright…so maybe my type is the kind of woman who's charming enough to realize when I'm flirting with her…"

* * *

Rio laughed as Rod fumbled with the fishing rod and managed to get tangled up with it. Reaching over to help him fix it, the blond giggled, "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Rod turned bright red and muttered, "I'm not that bad…"

Still smiling, Rio managed to untangle the reel before standing up and stretching. Looking over at her barn, she quickly turned back to Rod and said, "Anyways, I'm going to go check on Bess one more time before I start dinner. Try not to mess up my fishing rod as you carry it back to my house, okay?"

"Okay!"

Rod nodded as Rio ran towards her barn and hopped the fence, entering the large wooden building. As the young man stood there holding onto her fishing pole, he walked over towards the farmhouse. Just as he was a few steps from the door, Neil appeared on the farm.

With a happy grin, Rod waved at his friend. As Neil frowned and stomped over, the pet shop owner exclaimed, "Hey, Neil! What brings you to Rio's?"

The smile faltered on Rod's face as Neil growled, "You're the reason I came to this place! You're nearly half an hour late from when you said we'd go get dinner together. What kind of friend are you?"

Turning pale, Rod gasped, "Shoot! I did promise you we'd go to Chez Clement today, didn't I?" As Neil glowered at his friend, the shorter boy grinned apologetically before murmuring, "Well this is a problem, huh…"

"What are you talking about? Just say your good-byes to Rio and let's go."

"Well um…" Rod stared at his friend then said, "I might've told Rio I would stay for dinner…"

"ROD!"

Holding his hands up as if to pacify the now fuming animal trader, Rod laughed awkwardly and said, "Come on, I'm sure she'll let you stay too!"

"That's not the problem here, Rod. You promised me already, and besides you know how much I hate-"

Neil cut off what he was saying as Rio came out of her barn and the two made eye contact. For a second there was silence, and then Rod waved at Rio and called her over. Never breaking eye contact with Neil, the farmer walked over to where the boys were standing. As Rod explained what was going on, Rio's face contorted into slight irritation, but as she glanced at Rod's hopeful face she couldn't find it in her heart to say no to her friend.

With a sigh, the farmer turned towards her house and said, "Well come on then. Let's go."

"Yay!" Rod bounced happily after her, before turning to look back at where Neil was still standing. "Aren't you coming?" he asked his friend.

As Rod disappeared into Rio's house, Neil swore that he would kill his friend afterwards before he walked up the pathway and entered the house himself.

* * *

Rod's profuse apologies did nothing to appease his friend, who glared at him from across Rio's simple wooden table. After near half an hour of pleading and begging with his friend to forgive him, Rod lapsed into silence with a pout, still glancing over at Neil as if his pouting would gain favor with the animal dealer.

Just as Neil's patience was beginning to thin even more, Rio's voice called out, "Dinner's ready."

As she walked out of the kitchen, a big platter in her hands, Neil suddenly forgot how much he hated Rio as the smell of sweet corn and roasted chicken filled the air. His hunger ill-concealed, Neil all but jumped the plate of food as soon as the farmer set it down.

Rod smiled a little to see Neil digging in, and with a 'thank you' in Rio's direction he began to pile food on his plate as well. The blond farmer smiled as she watched Rod eat her food with bliss spread over his face. Sitting down and helping herself to the food, Rio glanced over at Neil and had to hide a laugh; the animal trader was shoveling food in like there was no tomorrow. When he looked up and caught her smirking at him, he turned bright red before swallowing loudly and looking away, avoiding her gaze.

In an attempt to make conversation, Rod asked, "This is some really great food, Rio. How did you learn how to make it?"

"Oh, my mom taught me a few things awhile back," Rio laughed.

"Really?" Rod smiled at her. "What was your home like?"

Neil sat in silence and zoned out, concentrating on the food as the two began to talk animatedly. Rio was going on about how she had loved her old home when suddenly Rod sat up straight and still, a look on panic on his face. Instantly, Rio asked, "Rod, what's wrong?" while Neil jerked out of his trance and looked over at his friend.

"I forgot to put feed in for the horses!" Rod freaked out, standing up quickly and nearly tripping over the chair as he did so. Straightening up, he ran to the door calling behind him, "Rio, Neil, I'm really sorry but I have to go! Thanks for the food Rio!"

"Wait, Rod-!" Both Neil and Rio stood up and reached after him, but the orange-haired boy was already gone and out the door, running back to his house to take care of his pets. An awkward silence hung in the air, and then Rio turned back to the table and sat down again, picking up her fork as she did so. Neil looked at her with slight confusion while she took a bite.

As she chewed, she looked over at him and mumbled, "I'm going to finish dinner, then."

Slowly sinking back into his chair, Neil took up his own fork again and said, "Yeah…" as he watched her with wary eyes.

* * *

The rest of dinner was finished in silence, but when Rio stood up to clean Neil felt the tell-tale beginnings of guilt prickling his conscious. Quickly he stood up himself, knocking over his chair in the process. As Rio gave him a look, he cleared his throat roughly and said, "I'll help. As thanks for the food."

Still looking at him, Rio turned to the kitchen with her hands full of dishes and said, "Alright then. Thanks."

As Neil picked up the remaining dishes and followed the farmer into the kitchen, he couldn't help but feel slight anger at Rod again for putting him in the kind of situation where he owed the farmer. He was so busy mulling over his irritation with Rod that he blinked in a startled manner when Rio handed him a dishcloth. When he raised an eyebrow in question, Rio explained simply, "You dry the dishes."

It was quiet in the kitchen, save for the clinking of dishes and the sound of running water as Rio plunged her hands into the sink and began to scrub. As she handed Neil a clean plate, he dried it dutifully before observing, "You know how to clean dishes really well…"

Giving him a weird look, Rio handed him another dish and replied, "And why wouldn't I?"

Scoffing, Neil dried the plate before saying, "You just seem like someone who'd never done a thing in their life before; I didn't think your parents would have made you do much of anything."

At his statement, Rio laughed lightly before staring at the bubbles and murmuring, "House chores are a little different you know. Sure, I was always the favorite of the family, but I don't think I knew any kid who was exempt from chores just based on that."

There was more silence, before Neil, in an awkward attempt to make conversation, said, "So why did your parents dump you out here anyways? You must have screwed up worse than usual for them to kick you out."

For a second Rio's hands froze; then she continued to wash dishes as she said quietly, "My parents died. I came here of my own will."

At her words, Neil immediately felt like a douchebag. True, he didn't get along too well with his own parents, but he still had them. The idea of losing them this early on in life was unnerving, unexpected even. A sort of newfound respect for the farmer began to grow as Neil continued to dry dishes she handed him.

Then what she had said registered, and he asked curiously, "Wait, you came here because you WANTED to?"

With a little giggle, Rio nodded before replying, "I know, it sounds kind of silly, doesn't it? I just…" There was silence as Neil waited for her to finish her sentence. "I wanted to make a fresh start of things. Become my own person, reinvent myself to be what I want to be -not just a doll that my mom liked to dress up, or a daddy's girl."

The farmer stopped washing for a second and looked up, meeting Neil's eyes for the first time since they'd entered the kitchen as she said simply, "I want to BE someone. Don't you?"

* * *

The two stood at Rio's door awkwardly, until Neil sighed and said, "Thanks again for the dinner."

"You're welcome. Thanks for talking to me and helping out after." Rio replied.

Both young adults looked at each other, then looked away, glad that it was dark and hard to tell what sort of expression the other person was wearing. After Rio's declaration, Neil had fallen silent again and the two had finished cleaning up quickly without speaking.

After a moment, Neil cleared his throat again and said, "I'm going home then. Bye."

"Ah…bye."

As he trudged off towards his house, Neil could feel Rio watching him go; instantly a light blush spread across his cheeks before he scowled and walked faster. It wasn't until he was completely off her farm that he allowed himself to think back on the conversation the two had had while doing the dishes.

"Man…I misjudged her a lot," Neil mumbled to himself as he settled down on a nearby bench, before remembering that it was Rio who had been so nice as to put one there right by the pathway to her house. Staring at the ground, the animal trader dug into the soft dirt with his toe before deciding aloud, "She's still annoying. I still don't like her…but I guess she's not so bad."

Satisfied with that, he stood up and headed towards his house, ignoring the twinge in his chest as he thought of the lonesome look on her face when she spoke of her late family.

* * *

**RESPECT! Yes Neil, she deserves it, don't you deny it! XD Neil has Rod and soon he shall have Rio too...hehehehe...  
**

**In answer to Pixelsaber's question: No, Rod's dog is part of the fanfic. I don't think he actually has one in the game, but I figure since he's a pet shop owner it was okay for me to give his character on here XD **

**Also, a heads up on what's happening with the Harvest Goddess/sprites/restoration plans: They'll all be mentioned, but only in passing. When I started writing this I didn't really have an encompassing game story in mind-as in, I didn't intend to write much about the actual game plot because this wasn't a "which bachelor will she choose!" story...so details on all of the aforementioned things will be sparse, if there at all. I apologize if that makes anyone mad or disappointed, but since this story is about Neil and Rio...well, it's about Neil and Rio so the other three things are important but not AS important XD At least, that's how I feel. So sorry if that makes some of you guys mad! I just started writing without thinking much about it XD**

**Well, until next update, you guys are very cool to read and review and I hope to hear from you all again! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

It was a sunny afternoon, and as Rio stood and looked over her land she smiled to note that some progress had been made. Things were definitely improved from spring, when she had barely had any crops or animals and was scraping just enough to get by.

So busy was she admiring her land that she failed to notice Rod sneaking up behind her; crouching, the young man pounced and covered her eyes with his hands. Rio shrieked before taking a step backwards; her foot caught on the bottom of her overalls and she lost her balance, falling on Rod and causing both of them to topple to the ground. As they lay there, Rod began to laugh and he let go of her eyes and let his arms flop to the ground while Rio gasped for breath and glared playfully at her friend.

"Rod you know how much I hate it when people sneak up on me!" she scolded gently, a smile on her face as she rolled off of him and onto the grass. Lying on her stomach, she propped herself up on her elbows and picked the grass out of her hair before asking, "What's up?"

Glancing over at her from where he lay on the grass, Rod said, "I came to say hi…and to apologize for the other night."

For a second Rio's brow furrowed in confusion until she remembered what he was talking about. Waving it off, she laughed, "That? That was last week, it's already forgotten!"

"I didn't forget about it!" Rod insisted, then he sat up and bounced to his feet before turning to Rio and offering her a hand. As she took it willingly, he pulled her to her feet and then reached into his pocket and dug around. Taking a bandanna out of his pocket, Rod told his friend, "Close your eyes and hold still."

With a smile, Rio closed her eyes and waited patiently for Rod to tie the bandanna around her eyes. The young man stepped closer to his friend until they were nearly nose to nose; he hesitated before bringing the bandanna up quickly and tying it around Rio's eyes. Stepping back quickly, Rod shook his head to clear it then said, "Alright, now I'm gonna take you to your present!"

"Hahaha, alright…"

Eagerly, Rod took her hand before turning a bright pink; he hadn't expected her hands to be soft at all, what with the way she handled tools and seemed to have a constant slew of blisters and the like. As he stood there, holding her hand, Rio tilted her head and asked, "Rod?"

Turning even more pink, Rod yelped, "Oh, right! Uh, come on!"

Without further ado he led her off the farm, guiding her carefully as she walked behind him with an amused smile on her face.

* * *

As the two walked past Tina's house, the reporter glanced out her window before an interested spark came into her eyes. Reaching over to grab her bag, she ran down the stairs and all but leapt out the door only to find to her disappointment that the couple had disappeared within the few minutes it took her to run down her stairs. She was about to turn away in disappointment before she noticed Neil lifting some crates and taking them into his storage area.

As nonchalantly as possible, Tina sidled over to the animal dealer before getting a look from him that told her he knew what she was up to. With a loud sigh, he jerked his head towards Rod's cottage before saying, "He took her to his place. I think he got her an apology present for leaving dinner early and not staying to help out."

"Rio and Rod had dinner together?" Tina asked, excitement obvious in her voice. Neil sighed and muttered, "Yeah, and I got dragged along."

At Neil's words, Tina turned to look at the animal dealer in a scrutinizing manner before saying slyly, "You aren't jealous that she and Rod are spending time together, are you?"

Neil straightened up instantly, a fire in his eyes and he declared, "Not in a million years. She's annoying; sure, she may be a little better of a person than I originally thought, but I'm definitely not jealous. I could care less what Rio does or who she hangs out with."

Tina frowned, before crossing her arms and saying, "With an attitude you'll never get a girl to like you, let alone someone as cute as Rio. I don't know why you two hate each other so much…"

"Whatever. You're starting to get annoying too with all these questions."

Unfazed by Neil's rudeness, Tina shrugged before turning and walking back to her house, saying over her shoulder, "You'll only have yourself to blame when you fall in love with someone like Rio and can't get her."

Neil just rolled his eyes and made a sound of irritation before continuing to put things in his storage room.

* * *

"Rod? Can I take the bandanna off yet?"

"No, let me take it off for you!"

Trying to calm down from the excitement of what he was about to show Rio, the pet shop owner took a deep breath before unwinding the cloth from his friend's eyes. As Rio looked down, she beheld a small spotted puppy. Cooing with delight, Rio knelt down and took it into her arms before turning to Rod and asking, "Really? You mean it?"

Rod pretended to pout, before smiling widely and saying, "Of course I mean it! Why wouldn't I? He's all yours, Rio!"

Tickling the puppy's stomach happily, Rio smiled up at Rod and thanked him profusely. As she continued to play with the puppy, Rod crouched down next to her and petted its ears before saying, "Don't let Neil know I let you have a pet for free though, he'll be super jealous."

As Rio laughed a little at the thought, Rod sobered up a bit and asked curiously, "I don't want to pry but…I've been friends with both you and Neil for a bit now and neither one of you has mentioned why you guys don't get along."

Rio fell quiet for a second, and Rod was afraid he'd crossed a line when she sighed and began to tell him about what happened. As she talked, Rod couldn't help but want to shake his head; it sounded just like Neil to blow off a friendly personality out of awkwardness and irritation. When Rod mentioned that, Rio just laughed before saying a little sadly, "No one's ever really hated me before…I guess there's a first for everything, right?"

His heart pounding, Rod gulped before blurting out, "I don't hate you. I think you're really cool, and smart, and pretty!" At his words, Rio blinked in surprise before a sweet smile came onto her face and she hugged Rod tightly, causing a light pink to spread in his cheeks as she did so.

"Thanks, Rod," she whispered as Rod hugged her back tightly with a big blush, "You're pretty cool too."

* * *

As Iroha and Rio hiked ahead, Tina and Felicity walked behind talking about the newest gossip the waitress had overhead while serving customers. As Tina let out a triumphant laugh, Iroha gave her a look and the reporter grinned back cheekily. When the girls finally reached their destination, they gasped and admired the pretty spring that lay before them.

It had been Rio's idea; gathering up all the young girls in town, she'd suggested they spend some time together and explore the mountain near the village, as she'd heard from Dunhill that there was a beautiful clear spring at the peak of the mountain. The other three girls had agreed, and as the day approached each had become very excited at the prospect of having a 'girl's day out'.

While Iroha stood and allowed the breeze to blow back her long dark ponytail, Felicity sat in the grass and smoothed her skirt before picking at some nearby flowers with a happy smile on her face. Tina glanced over at the spring, and seeing her closest friend in the town kneeling by the water she went to join her.

Rio was so focused on the pure water that she jumped a bit when Tina spoke to her. Turning around with a confused look, she said, "Huh?"

The reporter just laughed before crouching down near her friend and staring into the pure water herself. In a low murmur, she said, "Have you heard the stories of this spring?"

"No…it's not cursed or something, is it?" Rio asked, a slightly alarmed look coming over her face at the idea she was near a cursed piece of land. Tina scoffed at the idea before whispering loudly, "No, but it IS inhabited by a beautiful goddess…you know, the Harvest Goddess."

Tilting her head, Rio asked aloud, "Harvest Goddess?"

At Rio's question, Felicity laughed before asking, "Rio, don't you know about the Harvest Goddess?"

"Well…no," the farmer admitted with some shame. She'd never heard the name before, and the idea intrigued her. Moving away from the spring, she walked over to where Felicity sat and plonked herself down next to the pretty waitress before asking like a little kid, "Who is she?"

"A goddess who watches over the earth, and the surrounding areas," Iroha explained as she settled down on Rio's other side. Tina smiled and walked over to join the group, sitting on Felicity's other side so that the four girls formed a circle. Picking a blade of grass and idly twisting it between her fingers, the reporter said, "Don't feel too bad about not knowing, Rio-I had to ask around to get my information. Felicity knows because she asked me, and Iroha…well actually, Iroha, how do you know?"

The blacksmith smiled lightly before replying, "My whole family believes in her. As blacksmiths, we take ore from the earth; that is our connection to the Harvest Goddess."

"Wait, if she's a goddess…" Rio frowned before looking at Iroha and asking, "Does that mean she wants sacrifices or something?"

At Rio's question, the other girls tittered before Iroha patted the farmer on the shoulder and said emphatically, "No, Rio. Don't worry about that."

Rio blushed a bit, realizing how foolish her question had sounded before murmuring, "Well…who is she then? Someone tell me about her!"

Settling down more comfortably into the grass, Tina explained, "She's a deity that's said to live in this spring-that's why the water is so pure looking. She watches over the town and surrounding land, and will traverse the earth to bless farmers as they begin the harvest. Small elves helped her…uh, Iroha what're they called again?"

"Harvest sprites," Iroha said, shifting in the grass. Tina nodded before turning back to Rio, who was watching the reporter tell the story with fascinated eyes.

"Right, harvest sprites," Tina confirmed, before continuing, "And they help her with her tasks as an earth goddess."

"What does she look like?" Rio wondered, and Felicity butted in, saying, "She's supposed to be beautiful-although since she's a goddess I guess that's to be expected."

Iroha nodded, seconding the statement and Rio turned back to look at the spring with newfound respect in her eyes. As the girls fell to talking more about the Harvest Goddess, Rio suddenly felt as if someone was watching. Quickly turning her head, her blue eyes scanned the area before she decided she was imagining things and continued the conversation.

* * *

In the bushes, a few feet away from the group of girls, two small elf-like creatures stood watching them. With matching green hair, the brother and sister stared until the boy elf turned and complained, "Alice, can't we just go introduce ourselves to the new farmer? I thought the Harvest Goddess said we were supposed to watch over her in her place!"

The sprite turned on her brother, hands on her hips as she said meanly, "Aaron, shut up. She's doing fine on her own, isn't she? Look, we're just supposed to watch her, right? The Harvest Goddess didn't say anything about actually helping her unless she gets into trouble. Besides, I don't want to meet her-she looks dumb and I don't want to have to deal with her asking for us to help her."

Aaron frowned before saying crossly, "You're awful, sis. She seems really nice, I bet she wouldn't do something like that!"

Alice turned on her brother and said dangerously, "Are you stupid? Who's in charge?"

Meekly, Aaron looked down and muttered, "You are."

"Right," his twin sister nodded. "Look, even the Harvest Goddess didn't introduce herself to this girl yet. I bet it's cause she doesn't need our help anyways…let's just let her be for now. If she really screws up we'll help, but not before then okay?"


	9. Chapter 9

As Rio huffed, she managed to rake the last of the leaves up from her farm land and put them into a pile. Looking over her land, she nodded as her eyes took in several piles of leaves she'd managed to make since that morning. A triumphant smile on her face, she dropped her rake and turned to run towards town, ready to gather up all the children from town and Rod as she had promised them they could play in her yard when she'd managed to make leaf piles.

When Rio entered town, she looked left and right before noticing Allen, Neil, and Rod all standing near each other. Neil and Allen appeared to be arguing about something, and Rod stood between them with his hands up as if to placate the two. With a frown, Rio ran over just in time to hear Neil complain, "Look, I've always cut my own hair. I wouldn't mind trying your salon once, but I don't want to right now."

Allen stood with his arms crossed as he complained back, "Your hair is so scruffy. You really need to clean up, it frustrates me just to look at you." As he turned his head, the stylist noticed Rio approaching and hid his irritation as he took in her hair. The second the farmer reached the little group, the stylist grabbed her.

"A-Allen!" Rio gasped as the red-haired man grabbed her face between his hands and stared at her. As the farmer turned pink with a blush, Allen declared, "Rio, you need a haircut too. You've let your hair get unruly again."

Dropping his hands from the farmer's face, Allen grabbed her wrist and all but yanked her into the salon. As the two started down the path towards the salon, Rio's weak protests could be heard. Thinking it was the end of the conversation, Neil turned to go when Rod grabbed his arm and said, "Nope, you're going too! If Rio has time for a haircut, so do you!"

"What! Rod!"

Using all his strength, Rod managed to pull a complaining Neil with him all the way to the salon before throwing him through the doors.

* * *

"Just sit here and relax, okay?" Allen's reassurances did nothing to calm Neil as the animal trader sat impatiently in a salon chair next to Rio. As the stylist gave both of his customers a look that told them they'd better stay put, Neil looked over and saw Rio fidgeting uncomfortably in the chair.

Bluntly, the animal dealer said, "You could've just said no; then I wouldn't have been dragged in here by Rod."

Rio flushed a little at his accusatory statement before pointing out, "It isn't like you're weaker than Rod, couldn't you have just said no yourself?"

Neil fell quiet at her comeback, and said nothing else as Allen came downstairs again with a few more styling tools.

Making Neil sit back, Allen covered his eyes with a cool washcloth before doing the same to Rio. When she asked why, Allen said it was so that they could both see the new haircuts at the same time. For an hour, both farmer and animal dealer sat in the salon chairs while Allen worked on their hair.

Just as Neil was about to fall asleep, Allen said happily, "Alright, done! I've made you both presentable to the world!"

Nearly ripping the cloth off his eyes, Neil stared into the mirror before giving a sigh of relief; his hair actually look good, despite his fear that Allen would give him some sort of weird haircut. The spikes he normally maintained were still there, but shorter and slightly lighter at the tips; when Neil reached up to pat them he noticed they felt softer than usual. Sure that Allen had used some sort of hair substance on him, Neil turned to thank the stylist when he caught sight of Rio. His breath caught in his throat, and he stared before blinking and staring some more.

Rio sat watching the mirror, completely oblivious to Neil's staring and Allen's bragging. As she made faces at herself, Neil swallowed and took in the way she looked; her hair seemed so light that it was nearly white looking, but the color (or lack thereof) brought out the blue in her eyes. Her overgrown bangs had been fixed into a blunt fringe, and her long hair looked soft enough to touch, the ends of it curling just past her shoulders.

Neil had never thought Rio was ugly, despite not liking her, but with her hair actually fixed she looked rather pretty. It was almost like looking at a doll; her skin was still pale despite all the work she did out in the sun, and her cute features seemed emphasized by the way her hair framed her face. The more he looked at her hair, the more he wanted to touch it.

His hand began to reach out of its own accord before Neil blinked and withdrew his hand before anyone could notice what he had just been about to do.

As he wondered why he was suddenly noticing all this, she turned her eyes on him. Neil froze before muttering, "What're you looking at?"

In an attempt to be nice, Rio said softly, "You look nice, Neil." As soon as the words came out of her mouth and she turned slightly pink, obviously embarrassed at having said something so nice to him. Shaking any thoughts of her out of his head, Neil cleared his throat before replying back, "You…you don't look that bad either."

As she stared at him in confusion, he cleared his throat again before muttering, "You look good."

A light blush spread over his face as the compliment left his mouth, deepening when Rio broke out into a smile and thanked him. Before Neil could dwell on why he felt so weird, Rod walked into the salon and gasped, running over to compliment them both before talking to Allen about what a good job he'd done.

Rio turned from Neil to thank Allen as well, and as Allen proudly lifted a few strands of her hair between his fingers Neil frowned and shook his head. Getting up, he threw a thanks over his shoulder before walking out grumpily and wondering why he'd had such a weird moment.

* * *

While Neil restrung his bass, Rod slumped against the wall before complaining, "Neeeeeil…"

The animal trader looked up and glared at his friend before sighing and saying, "What, Rod."

"Let's do something."

"I'm busy."

"But I'm so bored…"

Neil gave his friend a sour look before returning to his instrument and muttering, "If you're so bored here then go hang out with Rio or something. Stop bothering me."

Knowing that Neil didn't mean to come off as rude, Rod just sighed before looking up at the ceiling and muttering, "But I want to hang out with YOU. Besides, even if I did want to go to Rio's she's busy today; she told all the kids that she and Tina would take them to the river area to pick flowers. You know that new couple with the little girl, Hina? They were so happy Rio and Tina were offering that they even told her they'd make lunch for when they all came back."

"You like kids," Neil pointed out at his worked on a particularly difficult peg. "You could've gone with them."

Rod looked over at Neil and said, "You like them too even if you won't admit it; we both could've gone."

With a grimace Neil held his bass to the light and mumbled, "Go somewhere with Rio? No thanks."

At his friend's grimace, Rod hesitated before saying, "You know, she's really not that bad. I know you think she's annoying and can't do anything right, but she's done a lot for this town. I mean, it's coming back to life and it's all because of her! Can't you just cut her some slack for whatever past problems you two had and just be friends with her?"

Neil's eyes lit up knowingly and he looked over at Rod before saying, "You like her, don't you?"

Rod turned bright red, confirming Neil's statement, and the two boys stared at each other in silence until Rod coughed and muttered, "So what if I like her…she's cute…"

As he watched his friend squirm, his expression bashful, Neil tried to hide a laugh but failed. While Rod pouted, Neil continued to laugh until he managed to say, "Why are you suddenly a middle schooler?" Getting serious again, the animal dealer shook his head and turned back to his bass before commenting, "I could care less who you like. I won't promise to be friends with her…but I guess I can tolerate her if you two start dating."

Rod started to smile, before a thought crossed his mind and he said in a dark tone, "Wait, Neil."

"Hmm?"

Neil looked up to see his friend staring at him intensely. With his voice serious, Rod asked, "You don't have a crush on her, do you?"

At the absurdity of the statement, Neil glared before saying, "Really, Rod? Really? Why would I hate someone if I had a crush on them?"

Rod held his friend's gaze for a minute before letting it go and muttering, "Well, she IS really cute. I just…if you do start to like her someday, tell me alright? I want to be the first one to know."

"What? Why would I ever like her? That's impossible."

"Just promise me, Neil. If you start to like her and I want to know…okay?"

Looking at his friend like he was insane, Neil gave his word before shaking his head again and turning once more to his bass. Neil's reaction to his words made Rod smile, but then he shivered a little as he thought of the weird feeling he had in his stomach whenever her thought of Neil and Rio together.

Glancing over at where the animal dealer was still stringing his instrument, Rod bit his lower lip and mouthed at Neil, "_Nothing is impossible, you know."_

* * *

Tina and Rio watched with curious eyes as a man who looked a few years older than them moved into the newest house that Rio had built for the town. He wore a traditional Japanese outfit, and his brown hair was unkempt in a way that had Allen itching to fix it.

The trio (who had become very close friends) stood and watched as he walked in after the movers and could be heard directing them to move things around before Tina asked, "Rio, who is he?"

"What? Why would I know? I don't make the restoration plans, I just do whatever's written and Dunhill does all the other stuff."

Allen pushed his glasses up and then coughed before saying, "Rio, did it ever cross your mind to pay attention to Dunhill when he talks about these plans? I'm sure that every time he's handed you one he's said something important about them…"

Rio frowned, and then shrugged before admitting, "He usually comes in the morning so I'm still a bit sleepy and don't really want to listen to him…besides, I'm already on what he's labeled as Restoration Plan number four. I don't remember much about the last ones, I just know that this one is REALLY going to bring in some people-even more than the Inn did when I built that!"

While Allen lectured Rio on paying more attention to things, Tina noticed that the man had walked out of his house and was now headed in their direction. Turning around, she hissed at her friends to quiet down just in time; the man walked up to them with a relaxed smile on his face before raising an eyebrow at them.

"Hello there," he said in a somewhat lazy tone. "I am Soseki, journalist by trade. Who might you three be?"

Introductions were made, but as soon as Rio introduced herself as the farmer who had built the house, the man broke out into an even wider smile before bowing slightly and saying, "You've done a wonderful job, Miss Rio. I expect you over for tea sometime, after I've settled in. It will be my way of thanking you."

Immediately flustered, Rio shook her head and laughed nervously, "Oh, it was no problem! You don't have to go through all that trouble!"

Taking Rio's hand, Soseki looked at her and said, "I insist, you must come next Friday. It is the least I can do to thank the woman who put such effort into building my house."

Prying her hand from Soseki's grasp, Rio said insistently, "I'm sorry, but I really can't. I already promised a friend of mine that I would spend that day with him." While Soseki continued to persist in asking Rio to spend some time with him, Allen and Tina exchanged glances behind the farmer's back.

Cutting into Rio's conversation, Allen stepped in front of her and shook Soseki's hand before saying, "Well it was nice meeting you but we've got to run. See you around."

Grabbing Rio's wrist, the redheaded man walked off with her in tow, the duo followed behind closely by Tina.

"So? Are you going to tell us why you're going on a date with Rod next Friday?" Tina giggled while Allen watched from where he was leaning against a wall of the reporter's study. At the suggestion from Tina, Rio turned pink before denying everything furiously.

"What? No, no, no, Rod and I aren't going on a date…wait…how did you know I was going to be with Rod?"

Ignoring her question, Allen asked quietly, "If it's not a date, then what are you two doing?"

"He invited me to go with him to restock supplies for his shop…why are you two being so weird about this?"

Tina and Allen exchanged glances again before Tina smiled at the farmer and said, "Oh, no reason. Hey, can you do me a favor?"

* * *

As soon as Tina had successfully gotten Rio out of the house, she came back up the stairs and with a sigh flopped into a nearby chair. While she grumbled to herself, Allen looked petulantly out a window and muttered, "She's seriously oblivious, isn't she? I worry for Rod…"

Tina's grumbling stop and the reporter giggled before a small smile spread across her face. Looking up at Allen, she winked at him and said, "Shouldn't you worry more about yourself and amount of information I get every time I hang out at your work? Every time I write the gossip column it's a wonder how no one figures out I got the information from you. I mean, Felicity for all her gossip never tells me anything new and Iroha doesn't seem to understand what gossip IS."

At this, Allen just waved it off before saying, "Whatever, at least those two aren't as oblivious as Rio. I just hope things don't turn out for the worse as far as Rod is concerned."

With a knowing look, Tina smirked at her friend before saying slyly, "You're such a softie, Allen, worrying this much about a childhood friend. I'm not even surprised anymore that he chose to move to the same place as you-he must have known you'd be trying to look out for him, even now that you're both old enough to be taking care of yourselves."

Turning a slight red at the accusation, Allen grumped, "So maybe I worry about him…but only a little. I can't help it, he's an idiot and a crybaby so I have no choice but to look out for him. I just do what you do to Rio."

Tina laughed before agreeing, "Yeah, you're right." Looking out the window as Rio ran back towards her house with flowers in hand, Tina smiled before saying softly, "I just hope nothing goes wrong next Friday."

* * *

**Today was a two chapter day XD And yes, Neil has never once thought Rio was ugly (cause she's totally not) even if he is still annoyed by her friendliness. And to me Allen and Tina seem like they could be really good friends, mainly since Allen runs a salon where people tend to gossip to their friends when they get their hair done and Tina lives to find information to write news stories :) They're also comrades when it comes to mocking people for their obliviousness XD**

**Thanks so much for all the reads and reviews so far! You guys are an inspiration for me to keep posting even when I'm doubting that whatever I'm about to post will be read at all! Next update is going to be one of my favorite scenes that I've written out so far so...hope to see you all there :) Until then!**


	10. Chapter 10

Neil looked at his friend before glancing back at the thermometer and shaking his head. Sitting down on the chair next to Rod's bed, the animal dealer gave his friend a look before muttering, "Your temperature is seriously high, and all these snot rags around you are gross. Face it, Rod, you're sick."

Flailing around miserably, Rod snuffed, "Bu' I can't be zick. I gotta ge' subblies from duh zity."

Staring hard at his friend, Neil replied, "You can't go to the city tomorrow. You're sick, you'll kill yourself if you don't rest. I'll get Rio to watch you tomorrow or something, and tell Klaus to check up on you two."

"Bu' Rio gonna ge' subblies wit me," Rod waved a hand weakly at Neil, who narrowed his eyes and said, "What? Rio's going to get the supplies?"

Rod nodded, before sneezing loudly and reaching up to grab another tissue. Blowing his nose profusely, he continued to speak in a stuffy voice as he asked, "Will you go wit 'er?"

"You. Want me to go to the city. With Rio."

The pet shop owner nodded at his friend again, watching as Neil took a deep breath in through his nose before muttering, "You're just lucky you're sick, or I wouldn't be doing this for you. Let me make that clear."

At Neil's reply, Rod grinned like a little kid at his friend, to which the animal dealer scoffed before standing up and saying over his shoulder, "Get some sleep, Rod. I'll ask around and get someone to watch over you while we stock up for your store."

With a dazed look, Rod just smiled and waved good-bye to Neil, who rolled his eyes before shutting the door to the bedroom and sighing loudly again.

* * *

The farmer blinked in surprise to see Neil on her doorstep that morning at eight. Giving him a suspicious look, Rio asked, "What do you want, so early?"

Giving Rio a grumpy look, Neil grunted, "I'm here in Rod's place. He's sick." Neil left out the fact that he'd been over again at Rod's earlier and had dealt with Rod's clingy, sick state. The pet shop owner had grabbed onto Neil's arm, and with a surprising amount of strength had held on doggedly until Allen had shown up and pried him off.

Rio hesitated, then asked, "Is he going to be okay?"

Rolling his eyes, Neil waved a hand carelessly and said, "He'll be fine, it's just a cold. He asked me to go in his place today to get his supplies."

At Neil's statement, Rio frowned and the animal dealer muttered, "I know, you don't want to spend that much time with me either. But I'm only doing this because he's sick."

Nodding in agreement, Rio grabbed her purse from where it hung near the door and said, "Let's go then, and get this over with."

* * *

While Rio checked the list that Neil had brought, the animal dealer glanced around the shop with a frown on his face. The entire trip to the city had been more than enough to irritate him, but upon arriving at the shop both travelers had been bombarded with friendly questions about Rod from the owner of the supply store.

Rio answered everything with a smile, but the more Neil was probed the more annoyed he began to get. As he watched Rio picking out items and meticulously putting them in the shopping basket around her arm, Neil suddenly felt like he was being watched. His eyes roamed the store slowly, until they came to a stop on one of the employees. The girl blushed a bit once they made eye contact and then flashed him a hopeful smile.

Trying to hide his disgust and annoyance with everything, Neil walked over to Rio and said, "Hey, Rio."

When she didn't answer, Neil looked down and saw that her eyebrows were furrowed with concentration, and she was so absorbed in her cost calculations that she hadn't even noticed how close he was standing near her. With a bit of a sigh, he leaned down and blew in her ear roughly.

With a squeak, Rio dropped the product she was holding, rubbing her ear and glaring up at Neil with the beginnings of a blush spreading across her face. Still rubbing her ear as if to get rid of the sensation, she demanded, "Why'd you do that? What is it?"

"You weren't paying attention," Neil shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets as Rio began to tell him off for blowing in her ear. Ignoring her protests, he put a hand up to her mouth to silence her and said, "Look, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out for a bit."

Blinking up at him, Rio curiously asked, "Why?"

Neil glanced over at where the employee from before was still standing, a look of subtle jealously on her face at how he was talking to Rio. Sighing loudly, he looked up at the ceiling and said, "I just am. It's stuffy in here. I'll be close by, so when you come out of the store I'll join you."

Turning around, Neil left behind a stunned Rio as he walked out of the store and let it fall behind him with a loud clanging sound. Rio shook her head, and then bent down to pick up the item she dropped before continuing with her calculations.

* * *

It was thirty minutes later that the farmer found herself standing outside the shop as it closed for lunch, glancing at the street in the hopes of finding Neil. Setting down the bags of supplies, Rio sighed and continued to look for the familiar red coat or blonde spikes. When she could find neither, the farmer took a step back and put a hand on her hip.

As she stood there, puzzling over what to do or where Neil might have gone, she felt a sudden chill and glanced up. To her surprise, there were two men looking at her from across the street. Even with cars constantly driving by, they didn't break their stares as Rio frowned and looked down at the pavement. Muttering to herself, she continued to stare at the pavement until she dared to look up again.

Rio turned pale as she saw that the men had moved from their original position; they were now in the middle of crossing the street, and they continued to throw glances in her direction while cars honked impatiently at them. As an ominous feeling began to grow inside her, Rio gulped and grabbed the bags, making a move to head down the street to where she'd seen a large shopping area.

She'd only taken a few steps though when one of the men called out to her, "Hey, you!"

Instantly petrified, Rio stopped moving and began to shake she turned around and tried to act casually. With a shaky smile, she said softly, "You…you weren't talk to me, were you?"

The taller one of the two grinned down at her lazily, before running a hand through his dark hair and murmuring low, "But of course we were talking to you. We happened to notice you standing outside this store looking around…you wouldn't happen to be lost, would you?"

Bluffing, Rio waved the idea away and laughed nervously, "Lost? No, no, I was just looking for uh…a friend of mine."

Stepping closer to the trembling girl, the two guys grinned at her before the tall one said, "Let us help you."

"Oh, no need-"

Rio squeaked in pain as the shorter one grabbed her wrist, causing her to drop one of the bags as he said, "It's no problem, helping a pretty girl like yourself. But hey, if we help you then you need to help us, alright?"

"No, I don't want-"

The farmer was silence as the man ripped the other bag out of her grasp, letting it fall on the ground with the other supplies. Rio shirked back as he leaned in closer and said, "Don't be like that, it's not every day I meet a girl like you…"

As Rio struggled, the men began to laugh. Just as the taller one reached out to grab her hair, a cold voice said, "What do you think you're doing?"

Both men stopped their assault on Rio, looking up with disinterested eyes at where Neil stood glaring at them. Without a care, one of them said, "Move along kid, it's none of your business," while the other one pulled Rio closer.

Neil watched as Rio turned her head back to look at him, and when he saw her tears of fright the animal dealer was instantly pissed off. Without hesitation, he threw himself at the two, catching them by surprise. Barreling towards them, the animal dealer threw a punch that hit one of the men hard on the face. As the man flew backwards and fell on the sidewalk, he let go of Rio.

Moving forward, Neil caught the farmer and held her to his chest protectively, glaring at the men as they shuffled back and stared at him. Spitting out some blood, the man who'd been hit laughed nervously and muttered, "What's your problem? We were only having a little fun with your friend there…"

With a look that could kill, Neil hugged Rio closer and said icily, "Get out of here. Leave."

As the two men ran off, Neil felt Rio grasp his shirt tightly. Looking down, he noted the scared look on her face; her eyes were closed as she held her face to his chest, fistfuls of his shirt tightly bundled in her shaking hands. The anger he'd felt minutes before at seeing Rio with the two men disappeared, and for a second he wondered why he'd suddenly been overcome with such strong feelings. As a few tears rolled down her cheeks though, Neil felt a flash of anger towards the men again, and he muttered, "Hey…are you alright?"

Hiccupping as she cried, Rio stepped back and scrubbed furiously at her eyes. In an attempt to be nonchalant about the whole thing, she turned around and knelt down and began to put the supplies back in the bags. Neil watched her back shaking as she said, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I…I was just worried about you."

Feeling even worse, Neil's eyes shifted away before he sighed and knelt down next to her.

Rio's eyes widened as she felt his arms go around her, and as they tightened into a hug she heard Neil murmur, "Sorry I was late. I shouldn't have left you by yourself." A blush began to spread across the farmer's face as she tentatively put her arms around his middle and squeezed. As the two knelt there, not saying anything, Neil looked up at the sky and cursed the blush that was on his own face.

* * *

A few days later, Neil found himself blinking as he wondered what Rio was doing on his doorstep. Hesitantly, he asked, "Yeah? What is it?"

Rio turned pink, and then held a pot out towards the animal dealer. As the tempting smells of Shrimp Chili floated out of the pot, Neil looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

In a rush, Rio said, "It's thanks for rescuing me from those guys."

Neil turned bright red at the memory; the two had returned to the town without saying anything about it. After returning to town, Neil had reasoned that he had been so angry at the men because he had let Rod down on his promise to keep Rio out of danger. The animal dealer didn't even want to think about the hug he'd given the farmer; remembering how soft she'd felt had caused him to blush at random times all week. He had assumed everything from the incident was over, but as she stood on his doorstep looking at him with apologetic eyes he sighed.

Rubbing the back of his head bashfully, Neil muttered, "You don't need to thank me. I mean, it was my fault they were harassing you in the first place. And I'm not the kind of guy to just stand there and watch a woman get assaulted."

Pouting, Rio thrust the pot at him and insisted, "Still. Thanks."

Neil took the pot from her, and then hesitated and said slowly, "This feels pretty heavy…I don't think I can finish it by myself. Help me out, won't you?"

Eyes brightening up, Rio smiled at him and said, "If you want!"

Turning away from her, Neil blushed a little and muttered, "Just this once."

* * *

**Now, I know this doesn't quite fit in the category of 'small events' but to be honest I feel like there had to a breakthrough for these two. You can't just randomly stop hating someone, but at the same time there are certain things that can happen that really change how you feel about a person. **

**That being said, I feel bad that I put Rio through this kind of situation XD Still, Neil was pretty heroic, right? He's not the type to shy away from chivalry when the occasion calls for it :) **

**Reviews are always inspiring to me because it makes me want to write better for my readers :) I hope that I can continue to improve, even as I write this story and many others! **

**Until the next update, thanks all for reading and reviewing!**


	11. Chapter 11

Rod watched the farmer with a smile as she talked about her experience in the city. As she talked, the pet store owner noticed that she was speaking in a favorable tone when she spoke of Neil, and that there was something different about the way she said his name; rather than spitting it out the way she normally did, there was a gentleness in her voice as she spoke of him.

It was strange, but ever since the trip to the city Rio and Neil had gotten along extremely well. The two were definitely friends, despite the way they still traded insults at each other. There was a friendliness about the way the two talked and would hang out, and everyone in town had noticed the difference, Rod in particular.

Reaching out and patting Rio on the head, Rod said cheerfully, "Well it's good to see that you and Neil are finally getting along! I was worried about that, you know!"

Rio hesitated and blushed as the thought of what had happened flashed in her mind again. She hadn't expected a hug from Neil, and she most certainly had not thought she'd be thinking about it STILL, weeks after it had happened.

True, the first time she'd been in trouble he had helped her and caught her in a hugging sort of way then, but this was different. The fact that he had actually gotten on his knees and literally hugged her was so mind-boggling that Rio couldn't get the feeling of it out of her mind. While she didn't want to admit it, the fact that her heart sped up when she talked to Neil now was beginning to bother her; she didn't know what to make of the feeling.

Shyly, Rio dug her toe into the ground and said, "Yeah…he's really not all that bad. I guess…I guess I don't really hate him anymore…" She blushed again as she thought of his warm hands on her back, not noticing as Rod smiled warmly at her.

"It'd be really nice if you guys could become friends," Rod said thoughtfully, before lowering his voice and asking, "You know what I've noticed?"

"Hmm?"

Rod smiled and said, "Neil really wants to be friends with everyone, he just has a really weird way of showing it. I don't think he really knows what to do in social situations so he gets grumpy and then acts really mean. I want to do something for him since his birthday is coming up soon too…"

Blinking, Rio said thoughtfully, "So he's basically shy?"

"Yep," Rod nodded, before sitting back and muttering, "What to do though…what to do…"

"Well," Rio cleared her throat to catch Rod's attention, "Why not give him a surprise birthday party? We can invite everyone so he can talk to them, and I'll be sure to try and be friendly to him again."

A huge smile spread across Rod's face, and with a grin he picked Rio up and hugged her, twirling around as he sang, "Perfect! That's the best idea ever!"

Rio laughed at her friend's enthusiasm, and the sound of her laugh caused Rod to realize what he was doing. Turning a furious shade of red, Rod became flustered and in the process tripped over his own feet, sending both of them crashing to the ground. As he lay there rubbing his head where a faint ache was beginning, he opened his eyes to see Rio laughing even harder as she sat on top of him.

The blush remaining, Rod smiled bashfully at her before saying, "So about this party…"

* * *

"Wait. What did you just say?"

Tina stared openly at the farmer with her mouth agape at the words that had just come out of her friend's mouth. Rio fidgeted under Tina's stare, before avoiding her eyes and looking hard at the table.

"I…I don't think Neil is so bad…he can be kind of cute," Rio mumbled, causing the reporter to almost drop the vase she was holding. Setting down the item carefully, Tina walked over to her table and slammed a hand on it before looking at Rio with narrowed eyes.

"Wha-what?" Rio said in a flustered voice as she turned pink. Tina stared at her, before shaking her head and saying, "I'm just making sure you're not sick or something…I mean, you're no paler than usual so I'm assuming you're in the right state of mind. But when did Neil suddenly become cute to you?"

Rio turned even more pink at the statement before protesting loudly, "It's not like I like him or anything…he's just been a lot nicer recently."

Suspicious, Tina said, "Oh? Like when?"

When the farmer said nothing and fidgeted even more, an understanding look came into Tina's eyes. Taking a step back, she gasped, "Something happened when you two were in the city, didn't it! Tell me, tell me now!"

With a sigh, Rio lapsed into the story, sparing no details as she did so. While she had been reluctant to tell anyone the story (not wanting anyone's pity for what had happened to her), the farmer knew that more than anything the whole incident would give Tina a reason as to why the animal dealer suddenly looked very different to her.

As Rio got to the part about the hug, she mumbled out the details in a rush before staring bashfully at her friend, who stared at her in awe. Pulling out the other chair, Tina sat down slowly before saying, "I can't believe that happened…and that he did that! No WONDER you two have been getting along more lately."

"What? You noticed?"

Tina gave Rio a look before pointing out, "How could anyone miss it? You two not only say hello to each other in passing, but you actually have conversations now. Sure, they only seem to last for five minutes at a time, but it's so different from how you two were before that everyone in town has been buzzing about it. And it isn't like nobody sees you going over to his place to hang out-you're over there nearly as much as you're over at Rod's!"

Rio blushed again as Tina shook her head and muttered, "Wow…seriously though, that story explains a lot. Like why you feel like this-it's a classic syndrome of being saved."

When Rio gave the reporter a blank look, Tina smiled fondly at her and reached over to ruffle the blond's hair. As Rio giggled a bit and waved her off, Tina explained, "You were a damsel in distress and he was a hero. Even if it was just for a moment, it doesn't happen everyday so it's only natural you'd develop feelings for him."

"I never said I liked-"

"I know," Tina cut Rio off with a wave, "But it's plain as plain to me. Don't underestimate my skills, Rio. I also know that you came and told me all this because you were worried about it and didn't understand why…am I right?"

It was Rio's turn to stare in amazement as she said, "Wow…how did you…?"

Tina smirked and puffed her chest out before saying proudly, "All in a day's work. But look, if you're worried you shouldn't be. I think it'll turn out alright." Her voice turned serious for a second, and Tina stared hard at her friend before asking, "Are you planning on doing anything about these feelings?"

"Why?"

With a cough, Tina said, "I just want to know. I mean, if you confess to him something may happen…"

Rio turned a furious shade of red as she sputtered, "I'm not going to say anything! If I'm lucky, this feeling will wear off!"

"What? Wear off?"

The farmer nodded emphatically before stating, "Like you said, he saved me so that's why I feel like this. I don't like him like that! I can't…I mean, we just became friends awhile ago, so it's not like I can just suddenly start liking him…" As Rio trailed off, she missed the look that Tina gave her.

With a sigh, the reporter stood up and said, "Well, if you insist. Now if you'll excuse me I forgot that I promised Allen I'd meet up with him for dinner today…"

* * *

Allen stood staring out the salon window at his friend's house. While Tina stood behind him, hands behind her back, the stylist sighed and shook his head before tearing his gaze away from Rod's cottage.

"I smell drama…and not the good kind either," Allen grumbled.

"What can we do about it? It's obvious that Rio's got a little bit of a crush on Neil; it's almost as obvious as the fact that Rod likes her. Sure, we're the only ones that have figured it out but…"

Allen turned to look at where Tina stood, rocking back and forth and biting her lip. With a small smile, he said, "You're worried about Rio, aren't you?"

Smiling back, Tina said, "You could tell, huh? It's not that I don't think she and Neil would be good together-because let's face it, she'd be the best thing to happen to someone as awkward and grumpy as him. I'm just worried about the way things are going. If Rod says something while she starts to realize her feelings for someone else, she's going to be torn between doing what SHE wants and doing something for him."

Allen frowned at this thought before muttering, "I'd hate to think of her dating Rod out of pity. And I know he'd hate it too, but he's just as oblivious as she is. He's never figure it out, and neither would Neil."

Tina sighed and then looked over at Rod's cottage before saying, "All we can do is hope that things turn out for the best, Allen."

* * *

**Bit of a shorter chapter today XD Don't worry-I swear what happens in the next chapter will make up for this filler one! **

**You can't help but feel bad for Rod, who is completely innocent as to everything that happened. But to be honest with you, I can't see him so much knocking someone out as tricking them to get away...like, if he had gone with Rio to the city he probably wouldn't have abandoned her in the first place (even if he was bored) so the guys never would've creeped on her from the beginning. And then also, if they DID still creep on them I can't see Rod charging at them with a punch-I totally see him finding a sly way to trick and them and then grabbing Rio and running away with her in his arms. **

**Okay, enough rant! I'm done now XD Thanks all for the reads and reviews, and I hope that you guys are looking forward to Neil's party as much as I am...lol**


	12. Chapter 12

Neil sighed as he sat at his table, checking the clock. It was the ninth day of winter, and he was officially twenty years old, bunking him at the same age most of the young adults in town were. For most of the day, he'd only gotten birthday greetings from the older people in town, and Rod had said something about treating him to dinner at the restaurant. Neil hadn't expected anyone besides his friend to do something on his birthday, but it was a bit of a surprise to the animal dealer that Rio hadn't said a thing to him.

"Just when I was beginning to think we were friends too," Neil muttered, checking the clock again. As much as the animal dealer hated to admit it, he had been secretly expecting Rio to at least say 'Happy Birthday' to him, if not actually give him a present. He had smiled at the thought of a gift, but when the day had passed with him barely seeing her Neil had dismissed his weird thoughts and wondered why he had been so enthralled with the idea in the first place.

He was about to give up on Rod ever showing too when a knock sounded at the door, signaling the arrival of the pet store owner. Neil got up and swung the door open, grumpily saying, "You're late. As usual."

"What! No I'm…" Rod glanced at the clock before grinning apologetically and saying, "Oh, I am! Sorry! Well come on then, don't just stand there, let's go!"

The two set off together, Rod talking animatedly about a new trick Abby had learned while Neil smiled a little at his friend's story. They had barely gotten down the path though when Rod froze and said, "Uh…Neil…I forgot something at my house."

Giving Rod an unsurprised look, Neil sighed, "Let me guess. Something really important like your wallet, right?"

When Rod said nothing but laughed nervously, Neil sighed before turning around and saying, "There's no helping it. Come on, let's go get it."

Rod ran after him, apologizing profusely and hiding a grin as they walked up to the cottage door. Neil sighed again, and pushed the door open to reveal the dark interior of the house. Stepping inside, he turned around to say something to Rod when the pet store owner closed the door behind them, enveloping them in total darkness.

"Rod, I can't see anything-" Neil growled, but then stiffened in shock as light flooded the room to reveal all the young adults of the town as they screamed happily, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NEIL!"

Blinking, the animal dealer turned to look at those assembled; Soseki toasted him from the corner where he stood, and Michelle smiled at him with a proud look on her face. Felicity smiled at him encouragingly as Iroha stood next to the tailor with a smile on her own face, and Tina and Allen smirked at him from where they stood on either side of Rio. When Neil looked at Rio, who stood in the middle of the group, he was surprised to see her smiling sweetly at him; it was the same smile he'd often seen on her face when she talked to someone and was enjoying their company. Now that the smile was aimed in his direction, he felt a small blush beginning on his face and Neil coughed to cover it up.

As he stood there, unsure of what to do, Rod exclaimed, "Rio and I thought you'd enjoy a party for your birthday so…here we are all! Let's have fun, okay?" While the rest of the group turned to talk to each other and a low murmur started up in the house, Neil turned around and punched Rod lightly on the arm.

A light blush on his cheeks, Neil stuttered, "Th-thanks. You're a good friend."

With a knowing grin, Rod just laughed before grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him over to where the others were all standing around and talking.

As the night wore on, Neil found himself actually enjoying the presence of the people he usually avoided. Not only had he held a conversation with Felicity, Iroha, and Allen, but he'd managed to last through a small talk with Michelle. After having been silent around most of the people for so long, Neil smiled at the thought that he was able to hold decent conversations with people he'd never even thought he'd be able to be friendly with.

Finishing up a conversation with Soseki, Neil turned to look for Rio when to his surprise he saw her standing right behind him. She was staring at the ground and swaying back and forth slightly, as if she had to tell him something. Suddenly nervous, Neil gulped and muttered, "Rio? What is it?"

The animal dealer nearly jumped with surprise when the farmer stuck her hand out and grabbed the edge of his shirt roughly. Wondering what was going on, he stared at her until she looked up at him with her face entirely red, a silly grin on her face.

"Neeeeeeiiiiiil," she drew out his name in a lazy tone, before hiccupping a little and continuing to grin up at him with a cute expression on her face. Instantly alert, Neil turned to where Rod was laughing with Allen before calling, "Hey, Rod….something's wrong with Rio…"

Stumbling over his feet in his hurry to get near them, Rod panicked and said, "What's wrong with her?! Is she okay?"

Glancing down at where Rio was still smiling up at him, Neil replied, "She's fine…sort of. I think she's drunk."

"WHAT?! How could she be…" Turning around, Rod glared at Allen who put his hands up and said, "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't bring anything...if I did you would've known awhile ago."

Rod opened his mouth to accuse his friend anyways when suddenly Tina rammed into him. Falling to the floor, the pet shop owner glanced up to see an inebriated reporter sitting on top of him with a glower on her face.

"Why…why don't you ever tell me anything interesting?" Tina questioned grumpily, her usual happy disposition gone. As the smell of alcohol washed over him, Rod glanced up to see where Felicity was giggling mischeviously over in the corner. When she noticed that Allen, Rod, and Neil were glaring at her, the waitress shrugged before saying, "Oh come on! I just put a little bit in the punch bowl…not enough to make any normal person drunk."

Before any of them could scold the waitress, Iroha put her hand on Felicity's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Felicity, you forget that they're lightweights…"

Blinking, Felicity's mouth puckered in surprise before she muttered, "That's right…I didn't think about that…not to mention awhile ago the two of them seemed to be drinking an awful lot of punch." While Allen shook his head and Soseki watched from the corner with amusement, Neil realized that Rio was still swaying back and forth in front of him.

As he looked down again, he noticed that a sleepy look was starting to come across her face. In an instant, she yawned and slumped against the animal dealer, nearly falling over as Neil caught her quickly.

"Shleeepy…" Rio muttered, snuggling up against Neil's stomach. Fighting down a blush, Neil caught everyone's attention and said, "Guess the party's over. Um…thanks everyone, but I'm going to head home now."

Allen raised an eyebrow as Neil bent a little and scooped Rio into his arms. As the farmer rested her head against Neil's chest, Allen smirked a bit before clearing his throat and asking, "Do you want me to take her home? Since you're the birthday boy you shouldn't have to worry about it."

Rod, who was holding up Tina as she leaned against him, glanced over at where Neil stood biting his lip. The pet shop owner paled a bit as he watched Neil blush and say, "Nah. I can take her home. Thanks, though."

Supporting Tina and helping her to her feet, Rod called out, "Wait, Neil-"

"Thanks, Rod. It was really cool of you to do this…I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Neil called over his shoulder before stepping out the door and leaving it to shut gently behind him. As Rod stood there with his hand outstretched after his two friends, Tina tugged on his shirt and moaned, "I don't…I don't feel good…"

"Wha-oh, Tina! Come on, let's get you home," Rod said in concern as he helped the reporter stand still, supporting her as he looked towards the window where he could see Neil carrying Rio down the street. Allen, noticing this, turned to start picking things up before telling Rod, "You take her home, and then go check on Rio, okay? I know she and Neil are friends now, but we don't want him throwing our cute farmer carelessly into bed without making sure she's okay, right?"

Rod hesitated, then flashed a smile of thanks at the stylist before dragging Tina through the door slowly. As Allen watched his friend go, he closed his eyes and shook his head before turning back to direct the remaining people to help him clean.

* * *

Neil marveled at how light the farmer was as he set her down on her bed; as he'd carried her back it had felt as if he was carrying one of his newborn lambs. "What does she eat?" Neil muttered as he watched Rio sleeping, her hand still clenched around his coat.

Shrugging it off, he was about to leave it with her as a cover when she stirred. Opening her eyes, Rio looked around in a confused way before turning to him and slurring, "Neiiil?"

A small smile of amusement spread across his face at her expression before the animal dealer said, "You're home, don't worry. I'm just gonna go now-"

"Nooooooooo!" Rio wailed, throwing herself off the bed and into Neil's arms. As a flustered Neil caught her again, she held onto his shirt and stared up at him with slightly teary eyes.

"Don' leave…I have present…" Rio muttered, staring up at Neil pleadingly. Neil stared back at her with a blush as she pouted up at him cutely, before feeling a sudden pang in his heart. Shaking his head as if to get rid of the feeling, Neil asked, "A present?"

"Present!" Rio closed her eyes and smiled up at him happily, looking for all the world like a five-year-old as she clung onto Neil's shirtfront. Breathing in and out through his nose to keep himself from blushing even more, he muttered, "Okay, hurry up and show me so I can go home."

As Rio let go of his shirt and turned around to stumble over to a chest that stood by the door, Neil stepped back and grabbed at his heart. Feeling warm, he watched as she rifled through it before turning around and hiding something behind her back.

With a giggle that had Neil blushing all over again, Rio stumbled up to him and thrust a package in his direction. As Neil ripped the wrapping off to reveal a songbook from his favorite band, a smile spread across his face. Flipping through the pages and looking at the chords and songs which he'd always wanted to learn to play, Neil smiled widely.

He was about to say a thanks when he looked up to see her smiling at him again; a big grin wreathed the pretty girl's face, before she said in a loud slur, "I likeee you!"

Neil froze before asking slowly, "What? What was that?"

Still smiling, Rio repeated herself slurring even more this time as she proclaimed, "I likeee you, Neiiil."

A weird feeling spread in Neil's stomach before he shook his head and muttered, "You're drunk, stupid. Don't go saying ridiculous things like that." Ignoring Rio's protests, the animal dealer swept her into his arms again and dropped her lightly onto her bed, watching as she flailed around with a confused look on her face.

Smirking a little at the thought that Rio wouldn't remember any of this, Neil leaned down and mused, "You know, you're not so bad when you're drunk like this-it's actually kind of cute. Just think, I could do anything to you right now and you'd never kno-"

Neil found his words cut off as Rio's hands grabbed his shirt and dragged his face down to hers, where their lips met in a kiss.

His red eyes open in shock, Neil saw that Rio had her eyes closed as she continued to kiss him, the sweet taste of alcohol and juice on her tongue. Marveling at how soft her mouth was, Neil half closed his eyes before shutting them all the way. As he kissed her, the feeling from before returned, and he felt a fluttery feeling in his stomach that was wonderful in a way he'd never imagined.

Lowering himself so that he was leaning over her, Neil's hands grasped the farmer's and as their fingers intertwined he felt the warmth of her small hand seeping into his skin. The urge to deepen the kiss spread throughout the animal dealer, and without thinking he acted upon it; sinking to his knees beside the bed, he let his free hand slide down Rio's back, pressing her into him and savoring the warmth of her body pressed against his.

The kiss was broken by Rio's gasp for air, and when Neil opened his eyes he found that Rio was staring up at him with pleading eyes, as if begging for more herself. Neil's mind went blank as a wave of desire washed over him.

The animal dealer snapped back to his senses as he felt Rio tug on his shirt, her head cocked to one side as she continued to look at him with the same expression on her face as before. Realizing what had just happened, Neil yelped and fell backwards, scrambling to his feet as Rio propped herself up and stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"Niielll?" Rio slurred drunkenly, and in that instant Neil leapt to his feet and barreled out the door with a red face, slamming it behind him as he fled towards town. Not wanting to think about what had happened and what he'd just done, Neil nearly ran over someone in his haste to get back to his place.

As he slammed into someone, the animal dealer fell back with a grunt before opening his eyes to see Rod sitting on the ground with a surprised look on his face.

"Neil? You okay?" Rod asked curiously. Neil stood up with shaky legs, about to reply when an image of Rio's face flashed in his mind again. Seemingly unable to stop blushing, the animal dealer muttered, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. She's sleeping so don't bother her."

Before Rod could ask any more questions, Neil was sprinting back to his house. Shutting his door as quickly as possible, the animal dealer breathed a sigh of relief at having gotten away. Covering his face with an arm, Neil shook his head and then walked over to his sink where he doused himself in cool water.

Shaking the water from his hair, Neil stood up and muttered to himself, "That didn't happen…that…that didn't…."

Remembering the sensation of Rio's lips on his, Neil slowly brought a hand up to his mouth before turning red again and mumbling, "Shit…"

* * *

**Development!~ Yay? Nay? Either way, Neil's got something to think about now every time he sees Rio :D**

**I really do feel bad for Rod XD Really, I do! Which is kind of why I'm considering writing a story for him too, to give him a little love. It's a thought, but I definitely have to finish this one first! Anyways, thanks all for the reads and reviews and see you on the next update :)**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, Rod," the farmer frowned as she watched Neil glance over at them in the general store before hastily turning away and all but running out the door, "Don't you think Neil's been acting kind of weird lately?"

Looking up from the recipes that Hana was selling, Rod murmured, "Well, it IS kind of strange that he's been avoiding you lately…I mean, I thought you guys were getting along."

A look of mortification came over Rio's face before she leaned over to whisper in Rod's ear, "You don't think I did something weird when I was drunk, do you? I don't remember anything so I think I was okay…"

Rod blushed at how close he was to Rio, before thinking back a few weeks about the party. For a second he thought of how quickly Neil had dismissed the idea of anything happening before the pet store owner shrugged and said, "When he took you back you were sleeping, and he came back to town really soon after that and said that you were still asleep. Maybe you drooled on him or something."

Rio frowned again before turning back to look at the tool selection of the store, muttering to herself as she did so. When the farmer had woken up that morning with Neil's coat pulled over her like a blanket, she had lay in bed with a headache all day and only dragged herself outside to take care of her animals. While she hadn't been able to recall what had happened after Tina had challenged her to a 'who can drink more punch' game, Rio hadn't thought she'd done anything too weird to Neil until the day she'd gone to return his coat.

The animal dealer had grabbed it from her and avoided looking her in the eye, mumbling out "it's no problem" before shutting the door in her face. As the two had been getting along well, Rio had been expecting him to talk to her a bit more about things rather than avoiding her the way he had been doing for the past few weeks.

Glancing over as Rod held up a recipe and smiled at her, Rio smiled back before resolving to talk to Neil again.

* * *

Neil stared at the wall as Rod watched him with a frown. The two were having a lunch together in the cottage, and they'd been talking just fine until Rod had brought up the farmer.

"Neil, you're not avoiding Rio…are you?" Rod asked curiously, wondering what was going on as Neil turned a light pink and denied everything in a quiet mutter. Frowning, the pet store owner stared his friend down until Neil finally looked at him.

With a sigh, Neil muttered, "Maybe…maybe I am."

"I knew it!" Rod said triumphantly as he thrust his fork in the air, while Neil glared at him. Setting his fork down again, Rod asked, "What's up? You know you can tell me stuff, right?"

Neil hesitated, and opened his mouth to spill everything before freezing at the thought of Rod knowing about the kiss. Of all people, Rod was the last person Neil needed to know about what had happened. Sinking down in his chair slowly, the animal dealer muttered, "Yeah I know…I guess…I'm just kind of shy because I don't know how to thank her for the birthday gift she got me. It was really thoughtful."

Neil tried not to gag at how sappy he sounded as he watched Rod's face clear up into a smile. Digging into his food, Rod said, "Oh, is that all? Just say thank you, you don't have to go all out you know. If anything, she's been kind of sad that you're avoiding her."

"Really?" Neil perked up a bit at the thought, remembering the expression Rio had made when confessing drunkenly to him. "Why?"

Shaking his head, Rod pointed out, "You two were finally becoming friends and so she doesn't understand why you're acting like you hate her again."

Trying to get Rio's smile out of his head, Neil picked up his fork and pushed his food around before muttering, "Well…I don't hate her. Not really."

"So tell her that," Rod said as he continued to eat, not noticing the small blush on his friend's face as Neil replied quietly, "I will."

* * *

Rio watched as Neil shifted nervously back and forth between his feet, staring at the ground. It had been a few days since his talk with Rod, and ever since Neil had resolved to act like nothing had happened on his birthday. After spending three days 'erasing' the incident from his mind, Neil felt that he was ready to face her and had made it a point to come early in the morning to talk to her.

When the farmer had opened the door though, Neil had felt the slightest twinge in his heart and was now trying to talk himself from feeling weird when Rio sighed and asked, "Neil, what did I do wrong?"

"Huh?" Neil stared in confusion as Rio stepped forward and said, "I don't remember what happened when I got drunk, but I'm really sorry about whatever it is! I didn't do anything weird, did I?"

Clearing his throat, Neil muttered gruffly, "No…no, you're fine. I just uh…I've just come to say sorry for being weird myself lately. Um…I wanted to thank you for your present but I just...didn't know how…"

Rio blinked, before breaking into a smile and saying sweetly, "Was that it? A thank you would have been just fine, you big dummy!"

As she fell back into her old way of speaking to him, Neil looked up and grinned tentatively before replying, "Dummy yourself. Getting drunk from such a small amount of alcohol!"

The two began to jokingly insult each other, and Neil smiled as he felt himself getting back in the friendship pattern that he'd had with Rio before the kiss. Resolving to not let the weird feeling in his stomach bother him, Neil failed to notice Rio's blush as she watched him laughing at her joke.

* * *

Tina frowned as she watched Rio working on the newest addition to the village, what she had declared would be an 'exotic mansion'. As the farmer took up a hammer and began to nail things together, the reporter sighed and turned from the window, frowning even more as she thought of how things were going between Rio and Neil. Irritated with the fact that Rio hadn't told her anything, Tina nearly ripped Allen's head off when he poked it through her door to ask her if she wanted to swing by the restaurant to grab some food.

Knowing what was eating at his friend, Allen came inside and shut the door behind him before crossing his arm and saying, "You're not going to get Rio to tell you anything with a mood like that. And geez, have you been taking care of yourself at all this last week?"

"What?" Tina looked at the stylist in confusion as the redheaded man marched over to her and grabbed a few strands of her hair, lamenting over them with a loud sigh.

Before Tina could do or say anything, Allen turned to look out the window as he said, "Seriously, take care of yourself first. Rio's a big girl, she can do just fine on her own-besides, she already made plans for the Starry Night Festival, if that's what you're worrying about."

The reporter yowled, "What!? Allen! How did you find out about that before me?"

Smirking, Allen puffed his chest out proudly and said, "You're not the only one in town who can get information. I'll put it this way; it's not going to be romantic in the least."

As Tina gave him a look, Allen shrugged before saying, "Rod might've confessed to me that he wanted to be alone with her but she invited both him and Neil before he got the chance to do anything romantic."

Slowly looking over at the window again, Tina sighed before laughing a little and muttering, "Leave it to Rio to do something like that, huh?"

* * *

"Hurry up you two!" Rod called back, a happy grin on his face as he skipped ahead of Rio and Neil towards the mountain peak. Bundled up in several layers of orange clothing, the pet shop owner had long forgotten the fact that the star viewing festival was for romance, and had gotten into an adventurous spirit as he trudged ahead of his two friends.

Neil, from where he walked a few feet behind, called up to Rod, "Hey, slow down! We're not all as hyper as you, okay?" Turning back, Neil looked on with amused eyes as Rio struggled up the path. Her arms held out to balance herself, the farmer walked cautiously after her friends, sliding every now and then with a small squeak before venturing another few steps.

"At the rate you're going, we'll be lucky if we make it to the peak by morning," Neil told Rio as she finally caught up to where he was standing with his arms crossed. Shivering, despite the thick coat she'd put on, Rio hissed back, "Oh, hush. D-don't make fun of me, I'm just not very coordinated okay?"

Smirking, Neil teased her, saying, "Yeah, I know. You've got to be the clumsiest person on the planet, I swear…"

"Stop making fun of me and help me," Rio whined, grabbing onto Neil's sleeve as she took another few steps and nearly fell yet again. As she nearly slipped and fell, Neil's arm snaked around her waist and held her up, the animal avoiding her thankful eyes as he willed a blush from coming across his cheeks.

As quickly as he had grabbed her to help, he let go before turning to look at her disappointed face.

His heart sped up a little, and glancing away the animal dealer gave a sigh of defeat before he muttered, "Fine, fine, come here." He held out his hand, not noticing the bashful look that had suddenly overcome Rio's face. Before she could take his hand though, Rod came bouncing back down the path with a look of concern.

"You guys are so slow," Rod complained, before noticing that Rio looked flushed. Thinking it was from the effort of climbing the icy slope, the pet store owner bounded over to her and said, "You need help, Rio?"

The farmer glanced over at Neil who dropped his arm quickly and looked away again. For a second Rio hesitated, before taking the arm Rod offered her and allowing her friend to pull her up the peak while he talked animatedly about something. Behind them, Neil sighed loudly and looked at the sky before marching after them.

* * *

As the three friends reached the peak of the mountain, they stopped and looked up in awe. The stars glowed and glittered down on the trio, and for a minute the three young adults were so absorbed that they stood there in silence. Rio, standing between both boys, clasped her hands to her chest and closed her eyes tightly.

The loneliness she'd felt since losing her parents was often faint, but as the farmer looked up at the stars she couldn't help but miss them more than usual. As she thought of how different she'd become in the past year and how she had managed to start a life on her own and help out a whole town, Rio smiled and thought of her parents and how proud they would have been. The farmer was so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice as first Rod, then Neil looked over at her while the three stood there in the cold.

Turning his head to look at her, Rod smiled gently at Rio's crinkled nose. It was clear to him that she was in deep thought; he'd seen that look on her face before she'd started every construction project for the town and Rod knew that whatever she was thinking of it was important. Glancing back up at the stars, the pet store owner made a silent prayer to the Harvest Goddess. While he hadn't been able to use the star gazing festival as an opportunity to confess, Rod was sure that when spring harmony day rolled around he'd finally be able to tell Rio how he felt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Neil glanced over at Rio and smirked a bit at her facial expression; there was so much concentration on her face that he was surprised that steam wasn't coming out of her ears. Looking away and back up at the stars, the animal dealer sighed inwardly as his thoughts returned again to the night of his birthday. Although he'd sworn to himself he'd never think of it again and that it 'hadn't happened', it was getting harder and harder to keep it from returning to his thoughts. There was something about the way that he had felt that had Neil unsettled, and as he glanced over at Rio again there was a sharp pang in his chest when he noticed Rod smiling at her. Clutching his scarf, the animal dealer brought it up to his face and grumbled into the material to keep from either of his friends from hearing the sounds of frustration he was making. Glancing back down at the spring behind them, Neil silently begged the Harvest Goddess to help him understand what the strange feeling in his chest was. He had an idea of what it might be, but not wanting to admit it Neil hoped that it would turn out to be something else-anything but what he thought it was.

After all, liking Rio was something he'd never considered from the beginning, and the idea of it honestly scared Neil a bit.

* * *

It was Neil who noticed her shaking at first. The three had been standing in silence for awhile before the animal dealer looked over once more and saw Rio shaking like a leaf. It was clear that she was cold, but unwilling to express this by the way she was biting her lower lip. The habit was something that both Neil and Rod had come to recognize easily, and though neither one had ever mentioned it to the farmer both used it as a way to tell what Rio was really thinking.

For a second Neil glanced down at the scarf he wore, before unwinding it from where it hung loosely around his neck.

"Rio."

Both Rio and Rod turned to look at the animal dealer as he dropped his scarf onto her shoulders. As Rio began to protest and take it off, Neil flipped one end of the scarf over her head, so that the farmer's mouth was covered and her complaints muffled. Rod looked on with a small smile on his face as Neil turned his face away and muttered, "Didn't you bundle up, stupid?"

Untangling the scarf from her head, Rio pouted and muttered, "I did…"

"Not enough," Neil pointed out, "You were shivering like crazy. Just take my scarf and be grateful for it."

"What kind of giving attitude is that?"

"You…"

As the two fell into arguing, Rod shook his head before checking his watch and noting how late it was. Clearing his throat to be heard over the two's voices, the pet store owner called, "Hey guys…it's getting late. Let's head back now!"

Offering his arm to Rio again, Rod smiled and bowed before saying, "Milady? Shall we?"

With a giggle, Rio abandoned her fight with Neil and curtsied back, replying, "I thought you'd never ask!" Moving forward, the blond went to take Rod's arm before remembering that Neil was there with them. Turning around, Rio smiled widely at him and offered her hand, saying, "Come on, Neil!"

Neil looked at her hand with indignation before stuttering, "W-what? What's the hand for?"

Still lingering between the two boys, Rio made a face of impatience before explaining, "It's slippery and dangerous to walk alone…come on!"

Neil blushed a bit and moved to take Rio's outstretched hand when his eyes flickered up to meet Rod's. For a second the animal dealer felt a sense of guilt; he felt as if Rod could see right through him, and knew everything that had happened. Then Rod smiled encouragingly at him and Neil breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to take Rio's hand. Neil blushed a bit as she gave him a smile and squeezed his hand before turning to walk back towards town.

As the three friends walked down the mountain, none of them noticed a figure rising out of the spring behind them. With a sigh, the figure stepped off the water and put her hands on her hips, frowning as she muttered, "How difficult…It seems I can only grant the prayers of one of those boys. It's such a pity, really…"

* * *

**Yeah Neil, you hold her hand. **

**And think about that kiss.**

**And think about liking her-**

**Okay, I'm done ordering him around XD But really, I do want him to do that. I FINALLY got to the point in my own game where the my character has been dating Neil for like two seasons now and has just about everything ready for the marriage but I'm putting it off because I want to finish the main storyline first. I have to admit, it gets kind of hard putting off the wedding since I'm writing about their romance and I totally want it to happen in my game XD **

**Also, I just started winter today-was I the only one who freaked out when the character ran and sparkles followed? I seriously thought my character was magical, and I got really excited until I realized that it was just the snow... I was just a little disappointed my character didn't have super awesome powers with which they could do cool farm things with, like magically enhance crops and cause all my animals to produce like five items so I could be come rich. But oh well :P**

**Anyways, thanks all to have reviewed (I think everyone was waiting for that kiss lol) and read! you guys are awesome and I hope to see you all on the next update :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Dunhill stood before the people of the town, beaming as he watched them all talking in excited undertones. Turning to Rio, who stood next to him with a proud smile on her face, Dunhill clapped her on the back enthusiastically and almost caused her to choke on the noodles she was eating. While Rio coughed (earning a few snickers from those nearby who were watching) Dunhill wiped a tear from his eye and exclaimed, "Rio, you've really done it! We've grown so much in the past year alone…I can't wait to see what you do next year! You've only one more restoration plan left, and when that's over…my dream will be complete and I'll have you to thank!"

Swallowing the noodles as fast as she could, Rio smiled back encouragingly at the older man and said, "Thanks, Dunhill. I um…I'm really grateful for all that land you guys cleared for me when I started the third restoration plan and well…I couldn't have done it without everyone's encouragement."

Smiling at the farmer, Dunhill laughed and pushed her towards where several of the young adults had gathered and said, "Go on, get together with the rest of the young'uns! Let them know that we're about to have the countdown!"

Stumbling over to where her friends were all standing in a circle, Rio squeezed into a space between Rod and Tina before sighing and complaining, "Why didn't any you guys help me out? Dunhill talks forever…"

While most of the group laughed at the face Rio made, Neil glanced over at the farmer and looked away quickly as he felt his face begin to heat up. Knowing how much grief he would get if he blushed now, the animal dealer willed himself not to do anything strange until he felt someone staring at him and glanced up. When he made eye-contact with Tina though, the reporter gave him a knowing look and Neil looked away again quickly.

Sidling over to where Neil stood, Tina leaned over and muttered to him, "Careful where you're looking, Neil...someone might get the wrong idea about you and Rio."

Tina watched with satisfaction as Neil began to burn red and stutter out protestations to her statement. A smirk spreading across her face, the reporter giggled before ignoring his complaints and saying, "I know, I know, you don't like her like that. Just keep telling yourself that…"

Sauntering away, Tina walked over to where Felicity and Michelle were eyeing her suspiciously. As the reporter joined the two girls, Felicity asked, "What did you say to Neil to get him to make that face?" The three girls looked over and watched as Neil kicked at the ground and muttered something under his breath, his face still bright red at what Tina had said to him. As they watched, Rio and Rod pounced on the animal dealer, and the three raised eyebrows when Neil blushed all the more as Rio smiled up at him.

"Rio?" Felicity asked, while Michelle continued to watch the antics of the trio with an interested expression. Tina nodded before shaking her head and muttering, "I can't believe it's come to this…even you and Michelle know now. Iroha's known for awhile too, although she didn't tell me until yesterday. I swear, everyone except those three…"

Michelle shrugged before saying prissily, "Well, Rio isn't very good at manipulating people; if it was me, I'd have both of those boys eating out of the palm of my hand by now…"

"Oh hush, we all know that you're the queen of getting what you want," Felicity teased her friend, before looking back over at where Neil and Rio were now in some sort of argument. With a sigh, the waitress brought some food up to her mouth and made a face of pleasure before saying, "Honestly, watching those three is getting dull. Shouldn't something have happened by now to get them out of this boring state they seem to be stuck in?"

As Tina watched, she frowned as she noticed Neil's expression when he looked at Rio. There was something that was visibly different about it, and though she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what it was the reporter wasn't about to make any conclusions without first getting evidence. Turning back to Michelle and Felicity, the reporter held a finger up to her mouth and said, "Let's not say anything and let them figure it out for themselves, alright? Next year is going to be much more interesting that way, don't you think?"

* * *

The forest was a wondrous place for cooling one's head; Neil glanced around at the foliage and smiled at the general happiness which seemed to prevail from the animals. As a spring breeze ruffled Neil's coat, the animal dealer sighed and took it all in, relaxing completely as he spent one of his free afternoons enjoying some alone time.

He'd spent so much time becoming friends with Rod, Rio, and the rest of the town that he had almost forgotten how nice it was to relax by himself every now and then.

Just as Neil was getting ready to sit down and take a nap underneath a nearby tree, he heard the sound of happy barking echo sharply through the forest. Immediately alert, he cautiously walked towards the sound and peered out from behind a nearby tree. Thinking that it might be Rod on a walk with his dog, Neil prepared to make a run for it when a small white dog came bouncing up the path.

As the animal dealer stared at it, the animal barked happily again before pouncing on him.

"Hey get off," Neil laughed, grabbing the animal's head and scratching the back of its ears affectionately before realizing that the dog had to belong to someone in town. So many new people had moved in as Rio had taken on the last of Dunhill's plans with full force that Neil felt it was bound to be one of theirs as he took the tag in his hand and checked it.

When he saw the farmer's name engraved in the tag though, Neil sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Just my luck you belong to the one person in town who can still get on my nerves even now that we're friends," the animal trader muttered as the dog sat on his foot and stared up at him lovingly. Reaching out, Neil picked the animal up before sighing again. Without looking back at what had promised to be a nice napping spot, the animal dealer took off towards the town with the dog in his arms.

* * *

"Rio? Hey, Rio?"

Neil looked around the house, not surprised to see that it was empty. Sure that she was over at Rod's or out foraging somewhere, he walked inside and set the dog down. As it happily walked over to its food bowl and began to eat, he nodded and turned to go when he heard a door open behind him.

Thinking it was Rio coming out of her restroom, he turned to say hello and give an explanation as to why he was in her house uninvited. The moment he turned though, Neil regretted it instantly; his face burned and he began to heat up as he took in the sight of the farmer in nothing but a tiny white towel. Her hair hung about her shoulders, still damp from her bath, and as her shocked blue eyes stared into Neil's red ones the only sound that could be heard was the plinking of droplets that fell from her hair to the floor.

Neil had never seen this much skin exposed by the farmer, let alone any girl, and as he stared the fluttering feeling seemed to return to his stomach in full force. As he stood there, uncertain as to what was going on, Rio blushed furiously and stuttered out, "Wha-wha-what are you doing here?!"

Snapping out of his daze, Neil's eyes immediately went to the floor. In a flustered voice, the animal dealer made furious gestures with his hands as he said, "I was just-I mean, your dog…I…I um…."

The words he wanted to say seemed to be lodged in his throat, and Neil took a step back with his eyes still on the ground as he muttered, "I'm just gonna leave then…"

"Wait, Neil-"

The animal dealer looked up just in time to see Rio reaching out towards him, an embaressed look on her face at having been caught looking the way she did. Unsure as to why she was reaching for him, Neil turned even more red and tried to step away, only to lose his footing and fall with a crash to the ground.

As Neil sat up and touched the back of his head to make sure he wasn't bleeding, he suddenly found himself staring at Rio's feet.

"Neil, are you okay?" Above him, Rio's voice rang with concern and she seemed to have forgotten that she was wearing next to nothing as she stood in front of him. Slowly, Neil's gaze traveled over her bare legs and up to the edge of her towel before it stopped and he remembered how soft her hand had been the last time he'd held it.

He couldn't help but wonder if the rest of her skin was just as soft, and when Neil looked up and saw her staring down at him with worry on her face he nearly exploded as thoughts of the kiss from last season erupted in his mind. His hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it reached up to grab Rio's wrist, pulling her to the floor with a squeak.

Rio found herself kneeling on the floor between Neil's legs, one arm on the floor propping her up as she stared up at Neil. Her chest lightly brushed against his, the material of the towel catching a bit on the shirt he was wearing, and his chest rose and fell with light, quick breaths.

The animal dealer stared down at Rio, his hand still wrapped firmly around Rio's wrist. Focusing his eyes on her mouth, he took a deep breath and immediately regretted it; a sweet scent threatened to overwhelm him, a mixture of honey and apricot filling his head and sending a quiver of desire through the young man.

Neil was snapped out of his dizziness as Rio's trembling voice asked, "N-neil…are you okay?"

His eyes met hers and he realized the position they were in before his temperature shot up and he turned a bright red.

Looking away, Neil half yelled, "I'm fine!" before scrambling to his feet and turning around to run out the door. At this point, he no longer cared if Rio even knew her dog had been missing in the first place; he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible before thoughts of the kiss consumed him, or before the weird feeling in his stomach increased.

* * *

Back in the farmhouse, Rio held one hand slightly outstretched after Neil as she watched him slam the door behind him in a mad dash to get away. Still blushing at what had just happened, she retracted her hand and patted her towel to ensure it was still in place before slowly getting up and putting a hand to her face.

"I'm such a klutz still," she muttered to herself, turning crimson at the thought that she'd left her door open while she was bathing. It was a mistake that she'd made before, but nothing had ever happened until now.

Leaning down to pet her dog, which had come up to sit at her feet, Rio talked to it.

"I can't believe that even happened. I mean, it had to be NEIL of all people…Neil…"

The farmer smiled at the thought of the animal dealer, and her heart pounded as she thought of how close the two of them had been. He had been just an arms length away from her, a flustered blush on his face as he tried to avoid looking at her.

Shaking her head, she tried to tell herself that it was just one of those awkward situations that the two of them would have to pretend had never happened. Rio didn't even want to think about the fact that she'd come to realize over New Year's just how much she actually LIKED Neil-the idea was still shocking to her, even after what had happened in the city. What was even more shocking was that Rio wasn't even all the upset at the fact Neil had just walked in on her; more than anything she was disappointed that he hadn't kissed her, although the farmer knew that it wasn't something that was likely to happen.

Rio frowned before walking over to the door and locking it firmly. Going back to her closet she pulled on some clothes before glancing over at the table, where her unopened mail from that morning had been left. Thinking that she could calm down and forget the incident for a minute, she sat down and opened the first letter, only to jump to her feet with wide eyes as she read the first sentence.

* * *

**I mean, she was there, in a towel...right there Neil...right there...:P**

**So, no lie, I totally forgot all about the fabulous sound the Harvest Goddess makes when she appears, but considering that she only makes that when she shows up to tell you stuff and she didn't actually say anything to Rio personally she didn't need like an introduction sound XD, Also no, I had no idea I even put a zelda quote in there but it must of been Link in my subconcious, telling me to put down the Harvest Moon (because I've been playing it like nonstop) and pick up Ocarina of Time again with my 3ds XD **

**Either way thanks to all the reads and reviews! You guys are awesome, and hope to see you all on the next update :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Neil and Rod sat at Rio's table, watching her as she paced back and forth in front of them. Giving Neil a meaningful look, Rod cleared his throat and timidly asked, "Rio? If you're worried I mean…you don't have a reason to be…"

Rod jerked back as Rio looked up at him and said frustraedtly, "But I do! I can't believe my sister will be here in three days…I barely have the room and on top of that my farm is still a mess and the town isn't even completely filled with people and all the amenities one needs in a town! She'll be distraught at my lifestyle and insist I come back with her!"

"You don't know that," Neil said in a flat voice, trying to contain his irritation that she had asked him to help her out that same afternoon as the shower incident and hadn't even seemed to care that the two of them might have had a moment of sorts. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Neil had been thinking about Rio all day and now the sight of her acting like everything was the same between them had him annoyed. It was especially difficult as the animal trader kept thinking about the kiss when he knew that the farmer knew nothing about it.

As Neil grumbled to himself and Rod looked over at his friend curiously, Rio pouted and said, "Neil, you don't know my sister like I do…she's…well, she's awesome."

"Awesome? Very descriptive, Rio."

"No, really, she is! She-" Rio bit her bottom lip for a second as she remembered she hadn't said anything yet to either of the boys about her sister other than to casually mention her in the last year. Clearing her throat, Rio coughed, "She really is awesome though. She took over this old farm when she was nineteen and completely changed it to something incredible all by herself. She became a part of the town she was in and got married and now she lives happily with her husband in Mineral Town…"

Blinking, Rod leaned forward and pointed out, "Rio, you took over an old farm and changed it. Sure, it's not a huge farm with tons of fancy things, but considering you've only been here a year and done so much I think it's more than enough to show your sister that you can do things on your own and take care of yourself."

With a smile, the pet store owner stood up and took Rio's hands in his, not noticing as Neil's expression grew grumpy. Clasping Rio's hands tightly, Rod smiled encouragingly at her and said, "Calm down! You'll be fine!"

Rio's face was surprised at Rod's gesture, and then she broke into her usual sunny smile and squeezed his hands back. Neither one of the friends noticed Neil's leg twitch as his irritation shot up even more.

"You…you really think it'll be okay?" she wondered aloud, before looking away from Rod's hopeful face and looking at Neil. Supporting his face with a hand, Neil leaned forward and muttered, "Yeah, yeah, you'll be fine."

Dropping Rod's hands (much to the pet store owner's disappointment) Rio put a hand on her hip and forgot all about her sister's coming as she asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you? You've been grumpy ever since I asked you and Rod to come over so I could talk to someone about this."

"Nothing's wrong."

Frowning, Rio gave the animal dealer a suspicious look before putting both her hands on the table and leaning forward to stare scrutinizingly at Neil. As her face came within inches of his, Neil began to blush and he leaned back a bit and muttered, "What're you doing?"

Still frowning, the farmer narrowed her eyes and said, "If you're upset by something then just say it. We're friends now, aren't we?"

For some reason, her words only fanned the flames of annoyance in Neil; while it was good that she was acknowledging them as friends, the fact still remained that she didn't seem all that ruffled by what had happened between the two of them. Even the kiss, which had been on her instigation, hadn't affected her because she couldn't remember it.

Fed up with the weird feeling in his stomach that he couldn't deny or explain, Neil stood up abruptly and nearly smacked into Rio as he did so.

"Well maybe I am upset! Maybe I'm upset because you're panicking over something stupid like this!" The instant the words left his mouth, Neil wished he could take them back. Rio's face twisted in hurt, and she took a step back and stared at him with wide blue eyes as she muttered, "My sister isn't stupid, Neil. She's the only family I have left…I thought you of all people would understand why it's so important that she's visiting me."

Opening his mouth to apologize, Neil moved forward and tried to say sorry but the words somehow seemed to get stuck in his throat. Mistaking his silence as a sign that Neil was still irritated with her, Rio's lower lip trembled and she quickly ran out of the house, shoving into the animal dealer on her way out.

As Neil clenched a fist and bit his tongue in anger at himself, Rod's voice said quietly, "You may be able to keep calm and look at everything with confidence, Neil, but Rio can't. Even you should know by now that she worries about things like this because she wants to do nice things for other people."

Looking up, Neil met Rod's eyes as the pet store owner continued, "It was obvious that she isn't really worried about her sister coming here and taking her away; she's worried about doing enough for her sister. Couldn't you tell? When she talked about how the town still doesn't have much to offer and that she barely had room she was more worried about making sure her sister had a good time than she was about not really impressing her."

Frustrated, Neil looked down and mumbled, "I know. I didn't mean to say that, it just kind of slipped out. I was just getting frustrated because-" The animal dealer stopped talking suddenly and shook his head, causing Rod to knit his eyebrows in confusion.

"Because what?" Rod prodded gently, wanting to know and hoping to fix up the fight between the two.

"Nothing. Look, I have to apologize to her. I shouldn't have said something like that to her."

Giving a small smile to his friend, Rod said softly, "It'll be okay, Neil. Sometimes friends fight over things like this, but if you apologize I'm sure Rio will forgive you."

Walking to the door, Neil straightened his coat before glancing over at where Rio's calendar hung nearby. When he realized the date, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh that's right…Spring Harmony Day is coming up, isn't it?"

While Rod nodded, Neil sighed, "Maybe I can get her chocolate…" As Rod's frowned a little, Neil hastily added, "As part of the apology and because she gave me something on Winter Harmony Day. Nothing else."

Biting his lip, Rod moved closer to his friend and said, "Yeah, I know she gave everyone chocolate during the winter…but Neil?"

Neil turned his face back towards Rio's door and stared very hard at it as he murmured, "Hmm?"

"Neil…I think I'm going to say something to her."

Staring even harder at the door, Neil focused on the lines in the wood as he heard his own voice say, "Really?"

Behind him, Rod said, "I'm going to tell her how I feel-you know, that I like her and want to date her. I wanted to do it earlier but I figure it would be best to do it on a romantic day, you know?"

"Yeah," Neil agreed, still eyeing the wood.

Rod watched Neil's back, and noticing how tense his friend seemed to be the pet store owner sighed before asking, "Neil, you don't mind, do you? I mean, you don't like her or anything…right?"

Neil hesitated for a minute, before clearing his throat and saying, "Y…yeah. Yeah. I um, have to go, Rod. I have to go." Not giving his friend a chance to say good-bye in return, Neil threw open Rio's door and strode off.

* * *

Jealousy ripped through his chest, the searing pain in his stomach making its way across his heart as the animal dealer thought of Rod confessing to Rio. The idea of it was painful enough; Neil couldn't imagine what would happen if Rio actually said yes. Being friends with both of them, and living in what was a relatively small town, he would have to spend every day watching the two of them together-the idea made Neil sick to his stomach.

Stomping into his house, Neil slammed his door in frustration before gritting his teeth and punching the wall. The animal dealer hissed in agony as he felt the skin scrape off his knuckles viciously, and he pulled his hand back to nurse it against his chest.

"What's wrong with me?" Neil shouted to the ceiling, clenching his good hand into a tight fist. Resisting the urge to turn and punch the wall again, the animal dealer leaned against his door and closed his eyes.

It was Rio's face he saw, Rio's smile that haunted him. Her laugh, the way she insulted him, all of it was there in his mind's eye as Neil stood against his door.

The feel of her lips against his was there too, the memory of the sensation sending a quiver throughout Neil's entire body.

It was clearer than it had ever been to Neil; he liked Rio.

He liked her a lot more than he knew he should.

With a groan, Neil buried his face in his hands before forlornly muttering, "Damn it…"

* * *

**Well he's finally accepted it. As he should! :) **

**Of course, he still doesn't know how to handle all this, but since it's Neil I'm sure he'll come up with a good solution. **

**Or just be really awkward.**

**Probably the second one XD It's Neil...in my mind he will ALWAYS be awkward. Romantic at times, but for the most part just really bad at saying what he means. **

**Thanks all for the reads and reviews! It's always nice to get on to post a chapter and hear from you guys :) Until the next update :)**


	16. Chapter 16

"Claire!"

"Rio!"

Claire squealed her sister's name as she practically threw herself at the smaller girl and embraced her tightly. Holding her back at arm's length, the older girl looked Rio up and down before smiling in an approving manner.

"You look just like me," Claire laughed, pulling at one of Rio's overall straps teasingly. Smiling widely, Rio picked up her sister's suitcase and replied, "You wear the overalls better, if you ask me."

"What? No way, you've always been more of a model than I have."

Arguing good naturedly, Rio and Claire walked into Echo Town before Claire came to a stop. Looking around, she made a slightly impressed noise before murmuring, "Not a bad place to live, Rio. Looks like a pretty big town if you ask me."

"Oh, it's not that big," Rio waved off her sister's comments as Claire continued to take in the town with an impressed look on her face. Over her shoulder she said, "Compared to Mineral Town? It's bigger, trust me. Newer looking too…"

The girls' conversation was cut off as they heard a yelp of pain. Both sisters turned to look in the direction of the voice; Rio watched with worry and Claire watched with amusement as Rod tumbled down the small hill from the plaza and came running at them as fast as he could. Coming to a stop in front of the two, Rod wheezed for breath before looking up and getting a good look at the two girls.

When he saw Claire, his eyes widened in surprise before he blurted out, "Wow Rio, your sister is just as pretty as you are!" Seeing Rio's shocked look, he hurriedly tacked on, "You're prettier though-no wait, I mean uh…you're both pretty I just meant….uh…"

At his words, Claire burst into a loud laugh while Rio blushed a bit and smiled. Rod turned a light pink too as he realized what he'd said, but all the same grinned at his friend bashfully before offering to take the suitcase from her. As he grabbed it from Rio, Claire looked at him in approval before asking, "And who might you be, my good sir?"

"My name is Rod," the pet store owner introduced himself, "And Rio is one of my closest friends here!"

Taking his hand and shaking it, Claire turned her head and told her sister, "I like him, he's not a bad kid at all!" Turning back to Rod, she said, "I'm Claire, Rio's big sister. Good to see she's got someone like you to take care of her!"

* * *

As the three walked onto Rio's farm, Claire gave a low whistle and took it in with admiration. Putting a hand on her hip, the older farmer said, "Wow, Rio. This is some nice land you've got here-so much space! It makes me feel like my farm is tiny."

Laughing, Rio linked her arm with Claire's and said, "It's not THAT big, Claire. And in any case, it wasn't in that bad of a condition when I got here last year."

The two girls turned towards the house to see Rod leaving it. Waving at them, the pet store owner called, "I put the suitcase inside! It was nice to meet you Claire, and I hope I see you and Rio around later!"

Claire watched as Rio waved back with a big smile before dragging her sister inside. The minute the door shut, she pounced on her younger sister and exclaimed, "When were you going to tell me in one of those letters that you were dating Rod? I thought you liked Neil!"

Flustered, Rio shook her head and said, "What? No! Rod and I are just friends, he's like that with everyone!"

Claire gave her sister an affectionate look before ruffling her hair and saying, "It's good to know that some things about you haven't changed-you're oblivious as ever."

"What?"

"Nothing," Claire waved off her statement before continuing, "Anyways, you write so much about this Neil guy that I thought he'd be one of the first people I met. I mean, Rod seems like a nice guy and he has the cute factor going for him but the way you described Neil I bet he's really handsome-"

"Claireee!" Rio whined, interrupting her sister. Silencing, Claire smiled at Rio before patting her head and asking, "Yes?"

Rio smiled back before sighing, "You read too much into things! I mean Neil is…Neil is…"

The farmer found that she had a hard time speaking as she thought of Neil's dark eyes. A small blush crept to her cheeks as she replayed holding his hand as they walked down from the mountain on Starry Night, and when Rio met Claire's eyes she found her sister giving her a knowing smile.

"Rio," Claire said matter-of-factly, "When you like a guy, you like a guy. Admit it. I haven't even met this person and I KNOW you like him-it's written all over your face."

Blushing even more, Rio blurted out, "Well so what? He doesn't like me back-we're even in the middle of a fight right now. He STILL hasn't come around to apologize either and it's been three days!"

Claire shook her head and sat down before saying, "He'll come around eventually, since you've told me that you two are friends now. Friends don't really stay mad at each other, you know that. Besides, isn't Spring Harmony Day coming up soon? It's in what, two days?"

"Yeah, two days. Did you make something for Gray in advance?"

Claire smiled and said, "No, I'm going to be back by then. I didn't plan on staying more than one night, Rio."

This news was shocking to the farmer; standing up Rio cried out, "But I haven't seen you in so long and I have so many things to tell you and show you…"

She quieted as her sister motioned her to sit down again. Leaning forward, Claire announced, "I'm pregnant, Rio."

Rio gasped in surprise as Claire continued, "I only came to check up on you and make sure you were okay. You're my baby sister, I have to look out for you even if you don't want me to!"

Ignoring Claire's words, Rio asked, "You're pregnant!? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It's only been a couple of months, Rio, and it's part of the reason I can't stay away too long. Gray was worried so much about me even coming here to visit that he almost took off work without his grandfather's permission just to come with me. I had to practically order him to stay and look after my farm."

Rio smiled; it sounded just like her brother-in-law to be overprotective of his beloved wife. Reaching out, Rio squeezed her sister's hand and murmured, "I'll be an aunt then…wow…But Claire, how are you going to take care of yourself and that farm?"

Eyes widening, Rio exclaimed, "I could come live with you for awhile and leave my farm to someone else; I could help out and take care of you-"

"And I'd hate every minute of it," Claire pointed out. When Rio's face took on a crestfallen expression, Claire gently squeezed Rio's hand and said, "I've always taken care of myself. Even when I married Gray, I swore I would be able to support myself despite knowing that he could take care of me. You know how I am."

"Yeah…I know…"

Claire smiled at her sister and said, "You've always been so caring-but don't worry about me. You've grown up so much in the time you've been here, but you've still got a ways to go. Oh, and Rio?"

Watching Claire with curiosity, Rio tilted her head as Claire smiled and said, "Promise to let me know what happens on Spring Harmony Day, okay? I'll be waiting to hear all about it."

* * *

That morning, Neil woke up unusually early. Glancing over at his clock, he was mortified to see that it was only five in the morning-a full hour before even Rio woke up. With a loud grumble, he turned over and tried to go back to sleep only to sit up straight as he remembered that it was Harmony Day.

Sighing, Neil swung his feet over the side of the bed and rubbed at his eyes. He hadn't slept much that night, having tossed and turned restlessly at the thought that Rod was going to confess to Rio. It didn't help that Neil had yet to apologize to the farmer; every time he'd seen her since their fight he had turned crimson after realizing how much he liked her and had run off to avoid her seeing his blush.

Surely by now she thought he hated her again.

Getting out of bed Neil glanced over at his refrigerator before walking over to it and pulling it open. A large chocolate cake sat on the middle shelf, practically radiating with sweetness as it took up space in his fridge.

He abhorred chocolate cake like no other; on the other end of the spectrum, it was Rio's favorite type of sweet. Between the two of them they had often fought what dessert to split at the restaurant when the three friends would go out to eat every once in awhile. Neil had never thought the day would come when he would not only make his most hated dessert, but would make it for a girl he had once hated.

Things had become so difficult and complicated that it was hard for Neil to believe he was still the same person. He continued to stare at the cake before the thought of Rod confessing flashed in his mind again. As jealously once more filled the pit of his stomach, Neil threw himself into action. Within minutes he was dressed and headed out the door with determination in every step.

Rio woke to a loud knocking on her door. Glancing over at the clock beside her bed, she saw that it was five minutes before her alarm would go off and wondering who it could be so early in the morning she climbed over Claire's sleeping form and trundled over to the door. Thinking that it was Dunhill with some sort of request, she pulled the door open while saying, "Y'know Dunhill, it's not even six yet…"

Her words stopped when she saw Neil standing on her doorstep, digging the toe of his boot into the ground as he stared at the ground.

Instantly Rio put her hands on his chest and pushed him back, stepping outside with him and closing the door behind her so that her sister wouldn't wake up. Forgetting that she'd just woken up Rio whispered, "Neil, what are you doing here so early?"

Neil took in her messy hair and her strawberry print shorts before hiding a small smile and muttering, "I…I wanted to talk to you."

Glancing down at where Neil was staring at her legs, Rio turned pink and crossed her arms over her chest before muttering, "I don't think there's anything to talk about. Can we just do this later? I'm kind of cold…"

Without hesitation, Neil slid off his coat and put it around her shoulders, watching as it shrouded her tiny frame and covered her completely. Leaning forward so that they were eye to eye instead of him just towering over her, he said quietly, "No, Rio. I want to talk to you now."

His bold manner had Rio blushing even more before she coughed and asked, "Okay well…what is it?"

Neil realized how close his face was to Rio's and he shifted back a bit before clearing his throat and saying, "I'm apologizing for saying what I did. I'm sorry."

Flustered, Rio mumbled, "Is that all? You could've just waited until later…I mean I forgive you…"

She looked up just in time to meet Neil's eyes and as a small quiver of longing pulsed through the farmer she looked away again and coughed to hide her sudden nerves. It had never been this difficult to be around Neil before, but with everything that had happened and was happening Rio found herself getting increasingly more obvious about how she felt.

Butterflies tickled her stomach when Neil's low voice asked, "Hey, do you want to spend today with me?"

Looking up again she blinked and asked, "What?"

Neil coughed too and blushed before repeating, "Do you want to spend today with me? As uh…apology…" His voice trailed off feebly, but he didn't have to ask again; Rio's face broke into an excited smile as she murmured back, "Really? You want to spend today with me? All of it?"

Blushing even more, Neil nodded before murmuring, "I um…I got up really early so I did you a favor and took care of your chores…look. Go get dressed already so we can grab breakfast at Chez Clement's okay?"

* * *

**I wish Neil would make ME a chocolate cake...like seriously. I really want a piece of chocolate cake.**

**Also, Rod, you and your loveable clumsiness :) **

**Either way, Neil's made a pretty bold move keeping Rio to himself on the day that he knows Rod was all set to ask her out...and so the drama and real inner turmoil begins. *cackles***

**Anyways, thanks all for the reads and reviews, and I hope to see you guys on the next update!**


	17. Chapter 17

The two sat in the empty restaurant, as Clement bustled around noisily in the kitchen preparing the meals they had ordered. From where she sat, Rio could see Felicity eyeing the couple as she set the other tables and cleaned around the store.

Shifting so that she was out of Felicity's view, Rio politely coughed before asking, "So uh…how've things been?"

At Rio's stiff manners, Neil looked up from the coffee he was drinking and made a face before looking back at his mug and muttering, "Could you stop acting so formal? It's just me for goddess' sake…"

Turning slightly pink, Rio mumbled back, "Yeah, but you're forgetting that as of late you were the one who walked in on me in a towel…and then did…I don' t even know…"

The farmer watched with a small sense of satisfaction as Neil choked on the coffee he was sipping. Coughing, Neil set the mug down firmly before protesting, "Well you're the one who came to me later that same day like nothing had happened!"

Rio looked at Neil curiously, before slowly saying, "Is that why you were so upset? Because I was acting like nothing happened?"

Looking away, Neil pouted and said quietly, "Kind of…maybe you just see me as that one guy you always hang out with, but I'm still a GUY, Rio. I want you to be aware of that."

The animal dealer missed Rio mutter to herself, "Oh, I'm well aware that you're a guy."

Turning his face back to meet her eyes again, Neil sighed and said, "Look, I don't want to fight again, I just apologized. And today…well today I just wanted to hang out with you."

Rio gave him another curious look before gripping her own mug with both hands and smiling at it. Taking a sip, she put the cup back down before giving Neil a slight grin and saying, "And what if someone stops by my house to give me chocolates? I mean, it IS Harmony Day…I bet I'll get something from Rod."

Frowning at Rio's words, Neil reached a hand forward to grab hers before thinking better of it and placing it under the table where he fiddled with his coat as he said, "Don't worry about that-you already promised you'd spend today with me."

To Neil's chagrin, Rio smiled at him even wider before giggling, "Okay, okay, I'm all yours, Neil."

His heartbeat sped up, and Neil looked away with a blush before mumbling, "Good."

* * *

Rod fidgeted outside Rio's door; the pet store owner held a box of chocolates in one shaking hand as he readied himself to knock on the farmer's door and deliver his gift and his intentions. As it was eight o'clock, he figured that both Rio and her sister would be up and that it would give him a chance to not only help Rio bring her sister to the port where she would sail out but would give him a chance to be alone with the farmer on the way back.

Steadying his nerves, Rod straightened up before knocking firmly on the door. As he heard footsteps approaching on the other side, he arranged his face to look as normal as possible in the hopes his anxiousness wouldn't show when the doorknob rattled.

Already prepared to give Rio the treats, Rod took a step forward and embraced the person who opened the door without a second thought. Eyes closed, Rod hugged the person in his arms tightly as he said, "G-good morning, Rio! I brought…I brought…"

"What did you bring my sister?" the person in his arms asked curiously, and when a radically different voice reached Rod's ears the pet store owner leapt back with horror to see Claire standing on the doorstep with an amused look on her face.

Immediately embarrassed, Rod turned a furious shade of red and began fumbling over his words so badly that everything he said became incomprehensible. Watching him floundering around from his mistake, Claire shook her head with a smile before assuring the poor boy that he didn't need to apologize for anything. When Rod finally calmed down, Claire had already brought out her suitcase and was straightening up with one last look at Rio's farm.

Still a bit flustered, Rod asked, "Um…isn't Rio going to see you off? Where is she?"

Hoisting her suitcase to her shoulder easily, Claire gave Rod a smile and shook her head, saying, "Rio? Normally she would but this morning she told me that someone came and asked her out to breakfast and if I minded." Claire chuckled at the memory; her sister had shaken her awake and had stood there with a bashful look on her face as she told her in a hurried whisper what had happened. The older sister had given her blessing that Rio spend the day with her crush, and accordingly so Claire didn't plan on telling much to Rod.

All the same, when she saw a crestfallen look on Rod's face she felt a bit of pity and coughed before muttering, "Anyways, I'd better get going. I don't know where she is, but that's fine. She promised that she'd come visit my farm very soon anyways, so I'm not too worried. See ya, Rod. It was nice to meet you."

Dazedly, Rod waved a hand in a half-hearted farewell as Claire walked off the farm before the pet store owner sank to his feet and frowned. Poking at the dirt, he wondered where Rio could have gone before a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he decided to head into town with the hopes someone would have an idea.

* * *

He shifted, his cool breath hitting her face as he did so. The sensation sent a quiver through Rio that she tried hard to suppress but was unable to. As she shivered, Neil raised an eyebrow and leaned in a bit closer. His mouth a few inches from hers, he murmured, "You're not in pain…are you?"

"N-no," Rio huffed, still gasping for breath as she lay underneath the animal dealer. "I…I'm okay. Are you…?"

"No, I'm fine."

The two continued to stare at each other in silence for a bit, hearts pounding wildly. After a few minutes, Neil sat up and looked away, covering his blushing face with an arm before getting to his feet and offering Rio a hand to help her up. Still a bit dazed, she stared at it before shaking her head and taking the outstretched hand.

The second she was on her feet, Neil let go immediately and complained with a red face, "How many times are you going to fall and expect me to try and catch you? Look what happened this time…"

Rio found herself unable to retort back, her own face red at what had happened. It was just a bit past lunchtime when she had decided that it would be a good idea to chase one of the nearby sparrows in the forest. Being as clumsy as she was, Rio had turned to say something to Neil when she'd slipped and fallen backwards.

The animal dealer had only been a few feet away and had tried to catch her but had missed and ended up on top of the farmer, his hands on either side of his head as he'd pinned her to the ground.

While Rio smiled a bit at the thought of how close they had been, Neil sucked in several deep breaths and tried to calm himself; the sight of Rio lying underneath him with her normally pale skin flushed had sent his heart into overdrive. It had taken all of his will to not kiss her; his hands had itched to run themselves through Rio's blond hair, to entangle themselves there while his body had practically begged to press itself against hers.

As Neil stood there muttering to himself, he felt warmth pierce his hand and when he looked down he saw Rio smiling up at him encouragingly as she tugged on his hand and asked, "Hey, I'm sorry. Why don't we do something else instead?"

Mutely, Neil nodded and allowed Rio to pull him towards the mountain area as she happily began to talk about fishing. As he watched her back, he thought to himself how maddening it was that she didn't even realize how crazy she was driving him by the slightest touch; she'd nearly killed him with her latest stunt, and Neil didn't even want to think about what had happened the week before with her and her towel.

He was still wondering why she hadn't said much about it, or had questioned his actions.

Neil was so busy worrying about himself that he failed to notice the tips of Rio's ears were pink as she hid her face from him, obviously every bit as flustered by what had just happened as he was.

* * *

Tina and Allen were enjoying their usual weekly meeting to discuss the latest gossip when Rod burst into Allen's house crying, "Alleeeeeeeen!"

Practically crashing up the stairs, Rod ran towards the table where the very surprised pair of friends stared at the pet store owner who stood before them. His normally happy manner had been replaced with the beginnings of tears in his eyes, and Rod's mouth puckered in frustration as he stood at the table and began to explain that he'd been looking and asking around town but had yet to find Rio despite the fact that it was already late afternoon. As if to add further injury to insult, he hadn't been able to find Neil either and the pet store owner was extremely worried by this.

The two listened to Rod's ranting in silence until he finished, and as the pet store owner panted at them with a questioning look as if hoping they'd explain what was going on, Tina cleared her throat a bit. Avoiding Rod's gaze, the reporter said, "Rod…do you think Neil and Rio are together?"

"I…I…yes, but I mean Neil doesn't-"

"Think carefully about what you're going to say," Tina warned Rod, cutting off his words and sending a look of fear and anxiousness across the pet store owner's face. At the expression on his face, Tina immediately felt guilty and opened her mouth to say something when Allen stood up and put a hand over her mouth.

Staring down at his childhood friend, Allen asked, "Rod, do you really think Neil doesn't like her?"

Gaping like a fish, Rod began to stutter and make excuses, his hands gesturing wildly as he babbled on and on about reasons why Neil could not like Rio. Tina watched with pity in her eyes as Allen grabbed Rod's hands and stared him meaningfully in the eye.

There was a silence as the two seemed to come to an understanding, before Rod's knees trembled and the pet store owner crashed to the ground.

With a sigh, Allen crouched down next to him and put a hand on his head before muttering, "I'm sorry, Rod, but you have to face it sooner or later. Even if he hasn't said anything to you, don't you think it was a pretty sly move to spend today with Rio and keep her away from you when he knew you planned on confessing?"

Weakly, Rod murmured, "He…he promised he'd tell me if he liked her. Why hasn't he said anything…"

Ruffling Rod's hair gently, Allen sighed and explained, "You are his closest friend here. Do you really think he wants to hurt you? I don't know why he went out of his way to keep Rio away from you, but my guess is that he wants to try and keep things the same way they are now, where the three of you are just friends. He doesn't want to give up on her, but he can't bring himself to tell you either. Besides, haven't you seen how Rio acts around him lately?"

Biting his lip, Rod reached into his pocket to bring out the crumpled package he'd stuff there since that morning. Holding back tears of frustration at what was going on, he muttered, "I'm better for her though..."

Tina and Allen exchanged a look or surprise at Rod's words, before watching the pet owner rise to his feet. Straightening up, Rod raised his head and declared, "I'm not giving up yet! He hasn't said anything, so…so I still have a chance. Even if Rio…"

As he clenched his fist around the package in his hand, Tina asked quietly, "What're you going to do?"

Turning his back on the two, Rod took a few steps towards the stairs before turning his head to smile at his friends over his shoulder. Determination renewed in his eyes, the pet store owner exclaimed, "I'll do what I can, and show Rio that I can be the best for her. I'll win her over, and then confess. I don't want to hurt either of my friends so…I'll do it the right way. Just you watch!"

Tina and Allen frowned at Rod's back, neither one of them able to see the doubt which tinged Rod's eyes. As he left the salon, Rod looked towards Neil's house before more doubt spread throughout his mind; was he really the best choice for the farmer, or would he be better off letting Neil have her?

With narrowed eyes, Tina watched from the window as Rod trudged towards his house before she muttered, "What a stupid guy."

Coming to stand next to her, Allen knocked her lightly on the head and scolded, "Hey, don't talk like that about him; that's my job."

With a frown, Tina looked down at her feet before muttering, "He's all talk and no action; he'll give Rio to Neil. It's obvious. He cares about those two more than anyone in this town…what kind of idiot sacrifices his feelings like that for others?"

As the reporter's shoulders shook with repressed anger at Rod, Allen sighed and elbowed her lightly.

"If you like him, go save him from his own stupidity then," the stylist muttered, leaving a frustrated and blushing Tina staring out the window with her fists clenched tightly.

* * *

Rio walked into Neil's house, blinking as she took in the interior with a light smile on her face. As he shut the door behind them, he turned around to see her grinning at him.

He frowned before muttering, "What're you so smiley about?"

"Your house hasn't changed at all since the last time I was here," Rio said, still smiling as Neil signaled for her to sit down. "It's nice to know some things don't change, no matter how long it's been."

Wordlessly, Neil turned and headed towards the fridge, ignoring Rio's weird looks as he opened the door and reached inside. With careful hands he brought the chocolate cake out, resisting the urge to smile as he heard Rio's gasp of delight.

The animal trader kicked the refridgerator door closed before walking over to the table and setting it down in front of Rio. As she stared at it, Neil crossed his arms and muttered, "In return for what you gave me for Harmony Day."

Rio gave Neil a look that had him blushing as she pointed out, "A store bought chocolate bar hardly merits a whole cake in return."

Avoiding her eyes, Neil scratched the back of his head and ordered, "Just shut up and eat it already. It's taking up space in my fridge."

Rio smiled a little at his words, knowing that it was his way of showing consideration, before standing up and saying, "Well I can't exactly finish a whole cake by myself, so you'll have to have some."

Reaching out to grab the cake knife, she asked, "Go get some plates, will you?"

"Wha-oh, yeah."

Once the huge slices of cake were put on the plates, Rio sat across from Neil and gave him another smile before digging into the dessert. Reluctantly, Neil picked at his slice with a fork before looking up to see chocolate smeared on Rio's lower lip. When she looked up to see him staring at her, she tilted her head with a confused look. The combined effect of chocolate and her expression was too much; Neil burst into laughter as Rio continued to watch him with a confused face.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, setting down her fork and giving Neil a death glare. Shaking his head, Neil waved off her question before leaning forward and reaching an arm out to point at her.

"You've got chocolate all over your face, you big klutz," he told her, laughing all the more as she nearly smacked herself in the face trying to cover it up. As Rio swiped at her face and repeatedly missed the frosting, Neil rolled his eyes before reaching over again.

His thumb ran over the chocolate, taking it off Rio's face effectively before he realized what he'd been doing and blushed furiously. Rio, her face every bit as red as his, muttered, "You could've just used a napkin…"

Neil jerked his hand back a bit before looking down at his now frosting covered thumb. Without thinking about it, he slowly brought his finger up to his mouth before licking off all the chocolate, aware that Rio was staring at him with a flustered look on her face.

When he looked up and met eyes with her, the two stared at each other in silence before he broke the silence by demanding, "What? What is it?"

"That was kind of…creepy," Rio coughed, staring down at her plate and willing her heartbeat to slow down. Her statement though had set Neil into his usual mode, and when he sent an insult back at her Rio forgot all about the tension in the atmosphere that had occurred and launched into a fight with the animal dealer.

As the two friends argued and joked, each one secretly wished that the night would never end.

* * *

**Awwwww Rod...I know it's hard buddy. I know. And I'm sorry XD **

**Also, for everyone surprised by Tina, I'll put it this way; to me, she's not the type to interfere or do anything unless she feel responsible for something or REALLY bad for that person. So since she's known about Rod liking Rio the entire time it hasn't occurred to her that if she sort of thought Rod was cute (which I mean, he is, everyone in town probably thinks so regardless of whether they like him or not)that she should do anything. **

**But yeah, enough rant XD I just wanted to explain what was going on in my brain when I wrote this chapter :) **

**Either way, thank you guys all so much for the reads and reviews! You guys are very encouraging! See you guys on the next update :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Rod glanced over at Neil as the two walked across the plaza and towards the forest. Having just come from dinner, the animal dealer had suggested a walk in the forest and Rod had agreed all while trying to decide how to best broach the subject of Rio.

The pet store owner had spent most of the night agonizing over it, half of him wanting to know if Neil really did like Rio and the other half of him not wanting to hear the answer. Rod wasn't entirely sure how he would deal with things if Neil actually admitted to liking the farmer, and the idea of losing a friend was killing him on the inside.

As the two of them stepping into the forest, Rod gave a sigh and was about to bring up the subject when Neil froze next to him. Wondering what was wrong, Rod's gaze followed Neil's and the pet store owner nearly died with shock at what he saw.

Rio stood near the foot of the trees with her backpack carelessly slung on one shoulder, facing a giant brown bear. As she shifted, the bear made a rumbling noise that snapped both boys out of their daze.

"RIO!" Rod yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth, "Don't move, just play dead! Hold on while I go get-"

As Rio turned her head to look in surprise at him, Rod's words were cut off as he felt a burst of wind as Neil rushed past him. Blinking, the pet store owner froze as he took in Neil's panicked expression while he passed him; eyes wide, his guarded expression gone, Neil abandoned all pretenses as he headed straight for the farmer. Rod watched as Neil sprinted towards Rio and grabbed her around the stomach, causing her to squeak in alarm as he kept running past the bear and towards the entrance to the other side of town.

Blinking, Rod looked at where the bear stood watching the disappearing couple before the pet store owner turned on his heel and ran back towards town, heading for where he knew his friends would be.

* * *

In the newer side of town, Neil sat down in the grass panting heavily as he let go of Rio. The two of them were surrounded by uncut trees, and the closest house was on the hill below so the animal dealer wasn't worried about anyone seeing them and starting gossip.

As he caught his breath, he looked up into her surprised eyes and growled, "What do you think you were doing? That bear could've killed you, why didn't you run?"

To his surprise, the farmer frowned and she complained, "Killed me? No way, he was my friend!"

Neil's mouth practically fell open as Rio went on to explain that she'd made friends with the bear, having often brought him honey since she'd started beekeeping more. As she continued to talk, a flare of anger rose in Neil's chest and he grabbed her wrists and pinned her roughly to the nearest tree.

She yelped with surprise before opening her eyes to see Neil's angry face as he muttered, "You're the absolute limit, you know that? I seriously thought you were in trouble…"

Blinking, Rio demanded, "What's that supposed to mean? I can take care of myself, you know!"

Neil ignored her, loosening his grip on her wrists as he leaned forward. The farmer hesitated, wondering what was going to happen until Neil closed his eyes and let out his breath in a rush. Rio blushed a bit as he leaned his forehead on her shoulder, his body pressing against hers in the dark as he exhaled loudly.

Flustered, Rio stuttered, "What…what are you…"

"Be quiet," Neil grumbled, a blush on his own face, "After work today and then having to run from the forest with you, I'm exhausted. Don't move."

Rio fell quiet, and two of them sat in silence with their thoughts as they sat there together. After a moment, Rio hesitantly raised an arm and placed it around Neil, hugging him as she murmured, "Thanks for always worrying about me."

"No problem."

"You're a good friend. Like Rod."

At the mention of Rod, Neil frowned and raised his head, eye to eye with Rio as he asked, "Like Rod?"

The farmer was glad of the dark; it hid her blush at their proximity as she bit her lip and murmured, "Yeah…you and Rod are both so nice to me…"

Rio's voice caught in her throat as Neil leaned forward, the tip of his nose lightly brushing hers as he continued to stare at her. His lips, mere inches from hers whispered, "Don't compare me to Rod."

As his cool breath hit her face, Rio shivered and tried to pull back but found to her dismay that she was already tightly pressed up against the trunk of the tree that she'd been leaning on. Still staring at Neil, she licked her lips before murmuring, "Why not?"

"Because," Neil growled, "We're not the same…we're not the same at all."

"But you're both good friends-"

"That's not what I mean," Neil said, before Rio gasped and gave a little quiver as he moved his lips to her throat, his lips brushing her skin lightly before he muttered, "Rod's a hell of a lot nicer than me. He's a good guy, a good friend…I'm the worst friend anyone could possibly have. I can't even be honest with myself, let alone another person."

"But Rod didn't try and save me from the bear," Rio pointed out in a strangled voice, barely daring to breath as she wondered what had suddenly gotten into the animal trader and what he'd meant with his words. He was silent for a second, before he pulled back and faced her again.

The air was silent save for the sound of them breathing, and Rio didn't move as Neil brought one hand up and gently touched her cheek with his thumb, before biting his lip and turning so red that even she could tell he was blushing despite the dark.

Carefully, Rio leaned her face into Neil's hand and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that seeped into her cheeks. Watching her, Neil's breath grew shaky and his pulse sped up before he leaned in further. He could feel her breath on his lips, the scent of the farmer driving him crazy but when he closed his eyes to move in Rio cleared her throat a little. Opening his eyes, he found her staring at him with an expression he couldn't read.

Hesitantly, Rio asked, "Neil? Do you…do you like me?"

At her question, Neil became flustered as he thought of Rod, and without thinking he snapped, "O-of course not! I can't like you!"

Instantly he wanted to bite his tongue as a look of extreme hurt fell across Rio's face. As he opened his mouth to amend his statement, she stood up slowly. Turning her back to him, she stood there as the breeze blew her hair back and she murmured sadly, "I…I hate you."

The words seemed to stab him in the chest, and Neil flinched before grabbing her hand and saying, "Rio, I didn't mean-"

"You didn't mean what? Just…just be honest with me Neil! You tease me, and get so close to me...you drive me crazy and just when I think you're going to do something you pull away and act like nothing happened, like there's nothing going on between us!"

Neil bit his lip and dropped her hand before muttering, "I don't know what to think anymore, okay? It's complicated…"

"Why? Why is it complicated? Explain this to me, Neil, because I just don't understand!"

Looking up at her, Neil wondered when Rio had grown to be so outspoken before watching her give a small, strangled sounding laugh and putting a hand to her face as she closed her eyes.

"Why…"

Neil watched as Rio glared into the distance with tears in her eyes. Her voice shaky, she asked again, "Why do I like you so much? Why did it have to be you?"

His eyes widened at her words, but as Neil reached towards her Rod came crashing through the trees with a panicked look on his face.

"There you guys are," he breathed in relief, before seeing that Rio was on the verge of tears and that Neil's hand was stretched towards her. As Rod blinked, taking in the awkward scene, Rio muttered, "I'll see you later, Rod."

Taking off at a quick speed, she walked away from the boys while scrubbing at her eyes. Left alone, Rod stared after her before turning to look at Neil, who had shoved his hands in his pocket and was now kicking at the dirt ferociously.

A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Rod asked slowly, "Neil…what's going on?"

Rod watched as Neil bit his lip and muttered, "I messed up big time. Goddess, I'm so stupid!"

As Neil kicked a nearby trunk, the whole tree shook and Rod found himself showered in a bunch of leaves as the animal dealer told him, "I have to go cool my head. I'll talk to you later, Rod."

Watching his friend walk off in irritation, Rod frowned before sinking to the ground and leaning against a nearby tree trunk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small package that held a ring and he tossed it up and down in his hands as he murmured, "Messed up big time, huh?"

A pang tore through Rod's chest, and the pet store owner closed his eyes tightly before clenching his hand into a fist over the package and making a decision.

* * *

**For all of you screaming for Neil to stop being dumb and just kiss her already: it's coming. Just wait. It's coming XD**

**For all of you wondering what Rod will do: Don't worry. He'll be okay, he's a strong kid. :)**

**For all of you asking why I didn't update sooner/why is this chapter so short: Writer's block, combined with the thought of Neil coming to terms with his thoughts can only result in so many words XD**

**Either way, thanks for all the reads and reviews :) And, out of curiosity, riddle me this; Do you think Rio is the type to be attacked by Neil, or would you see Rio as the attacker? Just curious XD Until the next update!**


	19. Chapter 19

It was with trembling hands that Tina knocked on the door of the cottage, hoping that Rod would answer quickly and spare her from the stares of the townspeople that she was sure to get if she stood outside his house for much longer.

She'd gone through the trouble of making his favorite food as it was lunch time, and though the reporter hadn't thought much of her own feelings in the midst of the drama unfolding in front of her eyes, she genuinely felt bad for Rod if nothing else.

Still, what Allen had said to her had gotten her thinking that maybe she was more obsessed with this whole situation for a different reason entirely; and it hadn't slipped past Tina that she WAS irritated at how selfless Rod was being about everything.

She didn't understand how someone could be like that, and it both bothered her and fascinated her.

The reporter blinked as Rod opened the door before the pet store owner sighed and said in a sad sounding voice, "Come in…"

Tina stepped in without saying anything, and as she turned around to watch Rod close the door behind her she couldn't help but feel even worse for him; he looked disheveled and there were bags under his eyes that said he hadn't gotten much sleep.

As the reporter stood there, shuffling her feet uncomfortably Rod laughed a little before putting a hand to his spiky orange hair and murmuring, "I'm a mess, right?"

"Are you…are you okay?" Tina wondered, setting the basket she'd brought on the table as she peered closer at Rod in a worried manner. He waved her off, walking over to his table and sitting down before sighing and putting his head down.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he admitted, and another pang of guilt hit the reporter as she cautiously sat down in the chair next to his. Tina remained silent as Rod sighed and said, "I'm not really all that surprised that they like each other. They're like fire and ice sometimes, but they say opposites attract, right? If I'm being honest with myself, when I watch them even just joking around together sometimes I feel like I'm intruding."

His next words caused the reporter to freeze as Rod revealed a very crumpled little box, eyeing it with a sad smile as he said softly, "I have no choice but to give her to him. He needs her…"

"What about you?"

Rod blinked as he looked up to see Tina shaking with anger. Reaching forward, she shook his shoulders and demanded, "What about your happiness, and your feelings? Are you just going to pretend they were nothing, that you don't need her either?"

Biting his lip, Rod looked away from Tina before he said solemnly, "I won't pretend that it doesn't hurt but…I don't need her as much as he does."

Tina burst out, "You're a damn fool, acting like some sort of martyr…"

At her words, Rod blinked again before laughing a bit and saying, "I knew that a long time ago."

This made Tina frown, but as she opened her mouth to say something there was a firm knock on the door and Neil's voice called out, "Rod? Rod, I need to talk to you."

Without giving Rod a chance to say anything, Tina stood up and muttered, "I'll go wait um…I'll go wait over in the bedroom for you two to talk."

"Wait, Tina…"

Rod reached out to hold onto her but she was already disappearing through the door to the bedroom as Neil's voice continued to call through the door. Taking a deep breath, Rod turned his back on the closed bedroom door and walked over to his front door before opening it.

* * *

"It's been a couple of days and you haven't…I mean…how've you been?" Neil coughed nervously, standing a few feet from Rod who just stared at his friend with a knowing expression.

The pet store owner remained silent for a moment, before he murmured, "I've been okay…just kind of worn out from…stuff."

"Oh? Like what?"

Rod just looked up and met Neil's eyes, causing the animal dealer to bite his lip and look away.

They continued to stand in silence before Neil sighed and said in a gruff voice, "I came here to tell you something. It's really important, Rod…I wanted to tell you before but couldn't bring myself to say it…"

As Neil's voice trailed off, Rod felt his heart beat rapidly and he clenched his fist at the pain that raged in his chest. Before Neil could say anything else, Rod took a step forward and said loudly, "I have something to tell you too, Neil."

"Rod, let me go first, I have to say it now or I'll never-"

"I've decided I'd rather not confess to Rio," Rod cut off Neil, watching as his friend's face contorted in confusion. An awkward pause fell between the two as they stared at each other, and Neil frowned before he opened his mouth to protest the absurdity of Rod's statement.

Seeing that, Rod continued, "I've been thinking about it these last two days and I've really decided that I need to focus on expanding my pet business more…and I mean, Rio and I wouldn't really be a good match anyways. We're both so clumsy that it really wouldn't work out."

"Rod-"

"So that's all I wanted to tell you," Rod said with a cheerful smile, before walking forward and grabbing Neil's hand. As he pressed the crumpled package that held the ring into the animal dealer's palm, Rod said in a serious voice, "Since I can't take care of Rio, you have to promise me that you will, okay?"

He didn't allow Neil to answer; Rod shoved his friend out the door while ignoring his protests and stutters before locking it firmly and leaning his head against the wood. For a minute he heard Neil call his name, before there was a silence and the sound of footsteps as the animal trader walked away.

Biting his lip, Rod clenched his hands into fists as tears ran down his cheeks. The young man sniffled and scrubbed at his eyes as he heard the bedroom door open, and he turned around to see Tina staring at him with wide eyes.

"I-I'm okay," Rod insisted with a smile on his face despite the tears still running down his cheeks. As he continued to reassure the reporter, Tina clenched her own hands into fists before walking over to Rod and pulling him into a fierce hug.

Rod's eyes widened in surprise as Tina patted him on the head and muttered, "Yeah…you'll be okay."

Slowly, tentatively, Rod put his arms around Tina to return the hug before closing his eyes and smiling as he leaned against her.

* * *

Rio laughed as she sat on the dock of her farm with the three kids in town, coaching them as they sat fishing with her. The farmer had gone through the trouble of buying each one of them small fishing rods and giving them baits from her own tackle box.

As she helped Hina put a new worm on her hook, Rio scolded, "Toni, Niko, stop fighting over the tackle box and just choose something! It doesn't matter which one you use!"

While the boys continued to argue, Rio shook her head and opened her mouth to say something again when a voice from behind the four said, "She's right, you know. It doesn't really matter which bait you use."

The farmer turned with a surprised look on her face to see Rod standing behind her with both hands on his hips and a knowing smile on his face. At the appearance of the pet store owner, Toni and Niko abandoned fishing and ran up to him, laughing rowdily as they tackled him and sat on top of him triumphantly.

As Rio helped Hina to her feet, she smiled at her friend and walked over to him with Hina's hand in hers. While the three children ran to play with Rod's dog, which was a few feet away, Rio elbowed Rod before saying, "So NOW you finally decide to come over and see me…where've you been Rod? It's already the second week of summer and I haven't seen you since the last week of spring when you and Neil caught me with that bear."

Rod smiled bashfully before saying low, "I've just been really busy with stuff, that's all."

"You could've always asked me for help! I mean, I finally finished that mansion I was working on yesterday so I'm free for a bit."

"Weeeell..." Rod stretched out the word before blushing and saying, "Tina's been helping me a lot. So I finally finished and thought I'd come and say hello."

"The kids would've loved to have you here for our little fishing party," Rio said, smiling at her friend happily. Turning around, the farmer went back to the dock to start packing up all the things and Rod trailed behind her.

As he watched her putting things in the tackle box, Rod asked, "So how're you and Neil?"

Rio yelped as she nicked her finger on one of the hooks before putting it in her mouth to stem the bleeding. Sullenly, she muttered, "Neil? What about him?"

Rod looked at her in confusion before asking, "Hasn't he said anything to you?"

"Said anything to me? I haven't seen him since the night he 'rescued' me from the bear. Every time I saw him after he would duck his head and avoid me, so I've started to do the same. If he doesn't want to be friends…well fine by me!"

Shaking his head, Rod grumbled to himself, "That big idiot…"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing!" Rod piped up cheerfully as Rio finished cleaning up and turned around to face him with a confused look on her face. Watching her reaction carefully, Rod said, "Well I'd better get going. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, if you're not busy."

"Going already?" Rio asked, "But you just got here! Why not stay for dinner?"

Already backing away, Rod shook his head before grinning and saying, "Nah, I promised Tina we'd go to Clement's and try out his new dish."

As Rod walked off, waving his good-bye Rio put a hand on her hip and smiled a little at the thought of her two friends together before Neil crossed her mind again. Frustration welling up in her stomach, Rio shook her head to clear it before calling for the kids to get ready for the dinner she'd promised them.

* * *

Rio was frowning at her farm the next afternoon when she heard shouts and yells from the entrance of her farm. Looking up, the blond watched with astonished eyes as Toni and Rod ran towards her waving their arms and yelling. Wondering what could be going on, the farmer leaned on her hoe as the two of them came to a stop near her, panting.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Rio asked cheerfully, but the happy smile was quickly wiped off her face when Rod looked up and gasped out, "Hina's missing!"

Immediately Rio dropped her farm tool, her blue eyes wide as she cried out, "What do you mean, Hina's missing?!"

While Rod continued to gasp for breath, Toni explained, "The four of us-me, Rod, Niko and Hina-were all wandering around the mountain area and when we turned around Hina disappeared! We don't want the adults to know and since it's light outside we thought we'd come get you to help!"

Rio nodded, and as she moved to head towards town Rod grabbed her wrist and said insistently, "I want you to hike up to the spring while I go get someone else to help."

Nodding again, Rio smiled at Rod and reassured him that they'd find the little girl before the pet store owner let go of her arm and watched her run off the farm with a frantic look on her face. As Rio disappeared from the farm grounds, Rod inhaled sharply before looking at where Toni was staring at him expectantly.

"Come on, let's go get Neil," Rod said, taking Toni's hand as the two ran off towards town as well.

* * *

Neil was sulking in his house when he heard a frantic pounding on his door. Wondering what was going on, he flung open his door to see Rod and Toni panting at his door, Niko running up to the door after them. Surprised, the animal trader opened his mouth to question Rod when the pet store owner straightened up and slapped a hand over his friend's mouth.

"Hina's missing!" Rod announced, and Neil's eyes widened in shock as the pet store owner told the same story that Toni had told Rio. Finishing up, Rod told his friend, "I need you to go look up near the spring, okay? You'll be the only one I send up there, and I'm going to go find someone else to search there with you as soon as I can."

Tearing Rod's hand off his mouth, Neil sprinted past his friend without even bothering to fully put his coat on. As Toni, Niko, and Rod watched Neil struggling to run and put his coat on, Hina came out from behind the wall where she had been hiding and took Rod's hand as she stared quizzically after the disappearing animal trader.

"Are Neil and Rio going to make-up and be friends again?" the little girl asked, looking up at Rod who smiled down at her before lifting her up on his shoulders.

"They're going to be very good friends," Rod said with a big grin as Toni and Niko high-fived each other. Looking up at the pet store owner, Toni asked, "Why'd you have to go through all that trouble of lying to make them meet up anyways? Was Neil being a bully to Rio?"

Shrugging off Toni's question, Rod bent down a little and asked, "Who wants to go to Clement's for cake?"

"Me! Me!"

As the two boys skipped ahead to the restaurant, Rod turned his head and looked at the path where his friends had disappeared before smiling up at Hina and walking after the two children.

* * *

**Can I just say that when I was writing this, my love for Rod as a character/bachelor exploded? Seriously, I**** absolutely adore him now and I haven't even finished my first file on the game, although I am getting close to it! Then I can have a second file, and marry Rod...Man my life is exciting over the summer XD Getting married left and right to different people XD**

**Anyways, it was great to get so much feedback from you guys! I mean, it always is, but it's also especially nice if I ask a question and get answers hahaha :) I ended up deciding on something for a later chapter so...well, you'll see when we get there XD I have no idea when this story will end to be honest, but I will say this much; it will probably end soon. The end is on the horizon...and not terribly far off. **

**So don't say I didn't give you fair warning XD Again, thanks for all the reads and reviews and I'll see you on the next update!**


	20. Chapter 20

**WARNING! **

**This is quite possibly one of the most risque things I have ever written XD Like, this is a lot for me even though some of you will probably think it's not that much when you read it XD But anyways, I'm going to be safe here and rate this chapter (just this one!) as T+! Just in case :)**

**Feel free to let me know if it IS too much or if it's too little!**

* * *

After reaching the peak of the mountain and searching for a few minutes, Rio collapsed on the ground with a loud sigh before staring up at the sky. Closing her eyes, the farmer yelled, "Hinaaaaaa! Where are youuuuuu!"

When she heard a rustle in the grass nearby, Rio opened her eyes in a flash and sat up expecting to see Hina; to her horror she saw Neil staring at her instead, a surprised look on his face as his eyes met hers. Instantly Rio turned red with embarrassment, and her heart thumped uneasily as she thought of the last thing that had happened between the two of them.

The two of them stared at each other, unsure of what to do before each of them looked away with a blush.

Making a point to stare hard at the grass, Rio tore up a fistful of the green blades before muttering, "What're you doing up here?"

Hesitantly Neil came closer, walking until he was standing in front of the farmer. Clearing his throat, Neil replied, "Rod told me Hina was missing and sent me up here to find her."

"Same."

For a second the two remained silent, then Neil sighed loudly and growled, "What was that idiot thinking…"

Rio looked up as Neil flopped down in the grass next to her, covering his face with an arm as he told her, "He was lying to get us to meet up here."

"Yeah, I know. I figured it out too," Rio said quietly, before looking away from Neil and continuing to mutilate the grass in front of her. From underneath his arm, Neil peeked out to watch Rio pulling the grass before he sighed and covered his face again.

Without looking at her, he sat up abruptly, causing her to squeak in surprise and tear a whole chunk of grass out as he did so. When she looked over at him, Neil stared determinedly at the sky and said loudly, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for what I did, and I'm sorry for how I acted and how stupid I am…"

His voice trailed off, and as Neil sat there avoiding Rio's eyes he fidgeted uncomfortably. Just as the silence between them was about to become unbearable, Rio coughed and said, "And?"

"What?"

When he finally met Rio's eyes, she smirked at him and said, "And what else are you sorry for?"

Frowning, Neil turned his face away from her and sulked, pulling his knees up to his chest as he growled, "You're just making fun of me now."

With a laugh, the farmer leaned over to poke her friend, forgetting all about their fight and feeling happy that he'd talked to her again. All tension from before disappearing, Rio smiled as she took in the sullen look on Neil's face and blush that remained from having to apologize.

Poking him again, Rio insisted, "Come on, Neil. Tell me what else you're sorry for."

The instant the words left her mouth, Neil's expression darkened. Rio yelped in surprise as she found herself pinned on the ground once more, Neil staring down at her with a strange look in his eyes as his hands gripped her wrists tightly. As his thumb pressed into her skin, Rio stared up with wide eyes before blushing and looking away, demanding, "What are you doing?"

Rather than answering, he cocked his head to the side and looked down at her with an unreadable expression as his grip loosened slowly and he ran his fingers lightly down her wrist and forearms, watching as she shivered at the way they danced down her arm and to her side.

As he allowed them to linger by her hips, Neil's mouth parted slightly and he watched as Rio stared up at him in silence, a confused look on her face. For a moment they said nothing, before Rio cleared her throat and asked again, "Neil, what are you doing?"

"I'm saying sorry," Neil growled, before taking a deep breath and leaning forward. His lips brushed her forehead, before he pulled back and leaned down to kiss her cheek and then her mouth. As Rio released her breath, Neil moved one of his hands to the back of her neck before slowly allowing his fingers to trace a line from her collarbone to her shoulder.

Moving back again, he first kissed her jaw and then began to work his way gently down her neck, taking great pleasure in the fact that she hadn't shoved him away or done anything to reject his actions. As he moved to her earlobe, he nipped it lightly and smirked as she whimpered a bit and one of her hands moved to tightly grab the back of his coat.

"What…what are you doing…" Rio repeated in a dazed voice as Neil trapped the farmer between his knees. Smiling at her, he ignored her question and continued his assault on her; he ran his lips from her collarbone to her jawline, inhaling her scent happily as his hands squeezed hers. As he did so, the hand that lingered at her waist grabbed the material there, pulling her hips into his where they collided with a sensation that caused Rio to squeak in surprise. The warmth of her body, combined with her sweet smell was enough to drive Neil crazy, and his kisses grew rough as he pressed himself into her.

Desire threatened to overwhelm him, but when he opened his eyes and looked down at her Neil took a deep breath and used his rationale to calm himself down. Moving to kiss her cheek again, he gently ran a hand to her hair where he grabbed a few strands and pressed them to his lips as he moved past her mouth and to her ear.

"I'm sorry for being so rough," he muttered, the tip of his tongue flicking out to lightly lick her neck as he leaned down again, causing Rio to breathe heavily as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"And I'm sorry for not doing this earlier," Neil whispered huskily, causing Rio to squirm a bit as she blushed even more from where she lay beneath the animal trader.

Neil's lips met hers, his kiss soft and his touch light despite the still-hungry look in his eyes. Relaxing completely, both young adults kissed slowly, both of them enjoying the moment and savoring it.

Neil slid his hand out of Rio's hair, first gently touching her face before moving to twine his fingers with hers. As the area fell silent save for the sound of their breath, Neil rested his forehead against hers before closing his eyes and murmuring, "I'm sorry for being so willful, but I've been wanting to do that for awhile now."

"You have…?"

Neil opened his eyes and blinked as Rio put her hands on his chest and pushed him to a sitting position. As she sat up too, she exclaimed, "Don't apologize. I…I've wanted you to do that for awhile now too."

Immediately flustered, Neil said, "R-really? It's not just me?"

"No! Of course not! I mean…you finally did it…" Rio squirmed a bit before the two of them met each other's gaze again.

Both young adults blushed, before looking away bashfully. After a moment, they dared to meet eyes again only to blush harder at what had just happened. Neil cleared his throat, before tugging nervously at his collar and saying, "So um…you uh, wanted to kiss me too?"

"Y-yeah," Rio admitted sheepishly, watching as Neil tugged at his coat even harder. "Actually, I wanted to do more things too but…"

Neil nearly ripped his collar in an attempt to strain himself from jumping her again.

Looking down, he muttered, "O-oh. Okay, good. Um…I was wondering…"

The farmer watched with curious eyes as Neil fiddled around in his coat before producing a badly wrapped package. When she didn't take it from him, Neil looked at her expectantly until she did. As Rio unwrapped the tiny box and opened it to find a simple ring with a small sapphire on it inside, she raised her eyebrows and gasped.

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Neil blurted out gruffly, watching as Rio stared at the ring. Slowly, a smile came over her face before she said simply, "Yes…I'll be your girlfriend."

"Good."

As she slipped the cool band on her finger, Rio looked up at Neil again before giving him a sweet smile and standing up, brushing dirt and grass off her overalls as she did so. Turning back to him, she offered him a hand, saying, "We…we should probably head back. It's getting dark."

Neil nodded, before taking her hand and allowing her to help him up. Once he was standing, he hesitantly held onto her hand before putting his free arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Rio blushed as she bumped into Neil, and when she looked up at him he leaned down to kiss her softly again, the hand that was on her waist moving to tangle in her hair.

Breaking off the kiss, Neil smiled down at her before blushing and looking away, muttering, "Let's go back then."

With a smile, Rio laughed, "Alright."

As the two walked down the mountain path hand in hand, Neil twined his fingers with Rio's, looking off into the distance with a blush as she turned her head to smile up at him.

* * *

**...**

***blushes***

**Yeah? I hope it wasn't too much XD Either way, now that THAT'S all over with I believe this story is due for another two chapters and an epilogue before I close it up. **

**And yes. There will be a time skip because that is how I roll XD**

**Now, I depart with a few last things: I have decided to write a Rio/Rod story. I can't decide between doing a one-shot or a short story like this (this is a relatively short story for me, considering one of the last ones I wrote for harvest moon was like sixty chapters) so I would be super grateful for any opinions on which one more people would like to read! I mean, I have an idea but I can't decide whether I should stretch it out or just keep it short and sweet XD So please and thank you for that!**

**Also, most importantly: Thanks for everyone who has read/ reviewed/ stuck with me up to this point! You guys are awesome and all get virtual cookies and I will always thank you on every chapter I post because you guys always encourage me to keep going even when I doubt my writing!**

**Until the next update :)**


	21. Chapter 21

_Two Years Later…_

"Seriously Neil, how hard is it to propose to her?" Rod asked, causing his friend to nearly choke on what he was drinking. As the animal trader coughed and glared at the pet store owner, Rod backed away before pouting and muttering, "I'm just saying…"

Neil wiped his mouth off with his arm before setting his cup down and sighing, "Why are you in my house this early anyways?"

"Why else?" Rod asked. "It's the Starry Night Festival in a week…you should use this as the perfect opportunity to propose! It's already been two years after all."

"And I'm going to follow your advice because…?"

Rod crossed his arms before reminding Neil, "Do you really think Rio doesn't want to marry you by now? She's had to put up with your grumpy attitude for awhile now. Clearly she must love you, or she wouldn't still be dating you."

For a second Neil hesitated, then shook his head and grumbled, "Okay fine, so maybe the thought of marrying her HAS crossed my mind lately…"

The animal trader found his the rest of his words cut off as he was swept up in a hug by his friend, Rod jumping up and down excitedly and energetically. As Rod yelled incoherently, Neil finally pried his friend off before giving him a grumpy look and muttering, "Shut up! Do you want the whole town to know?"

Instantly Rod quieted down, whispering loudly, "Right! Right…well, as I said two years ago; I leave Rio to you! Take good care of her!"

"I haven't proposed yet!" Neil whispered back furiously.

"Why are we whispering when we're in your house?"

Rod watched as Neil turned red and an irritated expression crossed his face. Placing his hands firmly on Rod's back, Neil began shoving him towards the door and ignoring his friend's protests. As he all but threw the pet store owner out of his house, Neil growled, "Don't say anything about it to Rio! You don't know anything about my plans, got it?"

Watching as Neil slammed the door, Rod couldn't help but smile to himself before stretching his arms behind his head and turning on his heel to head towards Allen's house.

* * *

Rio was sitting on a dock near the river, soaking her feet happily when she suddenly felt someone's arms drop onto her head. Glancing up, she saw Allen smirking down at her. Not allowing the farmer to push him off, the stylist leaned on her and said, "Hey, Rio you really need to fix this hair of yours. It's gross."

"Allen stop leaning on me," Rio said with a smile on her face, laughing as she tried to push him off and failed. "Do you need something?"

"Well actually-"

"ALLEN!"

The two young adults looked up to see Rod running towards them with a panicked look on his face, waving his arms as he jumped over the rocks to get to the area they were at. The two said nothing as they watched Rod trip and fall on his face, before the pet store owner quickly got up and approached them panting for breath.

Allen laughed, while Rio stood up with a concerned look on her face as she asked, "Rod, are you okay?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine!" Rod waved off Rio's concerns before turning a glare on Allen. It was so uncharacteristic of Rod to glare that Rio watched in surprise as the pet store owner pouted and said, "Geez Allen, I told you not to say anything!"

"Oh come on," Allen shrugged, a smirk on his face. "I get some interesting news and I'm not allowed to share it?"

"What interesting news?" Rio asked, blinking between the two boys with curiosity in her eyes. As Rod shot Allen an indignant look, the stylist sighed before reaching over to ruffle the shorter boy's hair. Turning around with a shrug, Allen walked off saying, "Never mind, never mind. I'll see you around Rio."

"What was that about?" Rio asked Rod, watching as his expression went from confused to flustered. Stuttering and tripping all the more, Rod took a few steps back and raised his hands as if to wave off the idea that something was going on while he said, "N-nothing! I um, I gotta go so I'll see you later!"

Watching as he ran off after Allen, Rio frowned before leaning down to pull on her shoes. As she laced them up, she stretched quickly before heading towards town in the hopes of finding out if something was wrong.

* * *

Tina sat at Rio's table, watching the farmer pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. For a few minutes the reporter stared in silence, before finally sighing loudly and sitting back in her chair.

"Rio, calm down. I'm sure Neil will come talk to you in a few days and explain whatever it is he's doing. I mean, the Starry Night Festival is coming up way too soon for him to keep blowing you off."

"But Tina!" Rio complained. "I haven't really seen him at all since last week! He's been working ridiculous shifts for some reason, and on top of that every time I try to spend time with him he says he's busy and not to bother him. Add in the fact that he left town for a whole day once and came back with a big smile that even I rarely see…"

Nodding, Tina speculated, "I see your point. But Rio, do you really think he's cheating on you?"

The farmer bit her lip before slapping her hands to her cheeks and crying, "I don't know! I don't know anything anymore!" Tina hesitated, not knowing what to do as her friend put her head down on the table and sniffled into her arm. Trying to calm Rio down, Tina reached over and slowly patted her head while thinking hard about everything her friend had said.

While she had a sinking suspicion that Neil wasn't cheating, Tina didn't want to say anything unnecessary that would spoil the surprise if she turned out to be right. Before Tina could open her mouth though, Rio's head shot up and with a determined expression she clenched her hand into a fist and said, "No! I'm not going to let this get to me!"

"R-Rio?" Tina asked with a nervous laugh at Rio's facial expression. Standing up with even more determination, Rio put her hands on her hips and declared, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this matter!"

Still unsure, Tina said, "Do you want help?"

For a second Rio hesitated, before shaking her head and giving the reporter a smile before explaining, "I'm pretty sure he's not cheating on me, but even if he is…well I need to find out first and deal with it before anyone else finds out. Thanks though."

As Rio began to pace back and forth and make plans, Tina turned her face to the window and sent a silent prayer to the Harvest Goddess wishing for everything to be resolved peacefully.

The next morning, Rio walked up to Neil's house with a big smile on her face only to see him getting ready to leave. Her eyes wide with surprise, Rio ran up to him, calling, "Neil! Where are you going?"

The animal trader turned around with a mixture of panic and surprise on his face, before he put on a careful frown and said, "That's…that's a secret."

"A secret?" Rio asked playfully, putting her hands behind her back and putting on a cute expression in the hopes of getting an answer out of her stoic boyfriend. To her shock, her usual trick didn't work as Neil turned his face away from her and muttered, "Yeah, a secret. I gotta go."

"But Neil!" the farmer complained. "I've barely seen you all week…and every time I try to talk to you, you're always busy! It wasn't like this before…"

To her chagrin, Neil pushed his way past Rio before stopping a little ways away and saying, "Sorry, Rio. I'll talk to you later, okay? I don't have time for you right now."

Without looking back the animal trader left town, leaving Rio standing on the path with a crumpled expression on her face.

* * *

With a spring in his step, Neil walked down the streets of Mineral Town towards the library, he was unaware of Rio's presence as she followed him. Sticking close to the shadows and the sides of the street, the blond stared suspiciously after him before biting her lip as he walked into the library, where a soft voice called out, "Oh, Neil! You're back already?"

Trying to calm herself and not think negative thoughts, the farmer crept towards the door and peeked in before only to see a woman her sister's age with a long black braid standing next to Neil. The two held each ends of a book, both of them so absorbed in what was on the page that neither one of them noticed that Rio was behind them and taking in everything with wide eyes.

As she leaned in close, she heard Neil murmur something. His voice was soft, which was strangely uncharacteristic of him. Leaning in further, Rio caught the word "cute". The farmer willed herself not to make a sound as she breathlessly straightened up, hoping to catch more of the conversation.

To her surprise and anxiousness, the woman standing next to him smiled shyly before saying, "How nice of you…you're very thoughtful, even coming here for the second time in one week."

Rio grit her teeth as she watched a bashful look come over Neil's face before he blushed and stuttered, "W-well it's important to me so…"

Not wanting to hear or see anymore, Rio turned and fled as quietly as possible, the door barely making a slight click as she turned tail and ran as fast as she could back towards the dock where she could get on the next boat out of town.

Neil glanced back as he heard the door click before turning to the woman and saying, "Sorry to take up your time with all this junk, Mary. Thank you for going through all the trouble of getting this catalogue…if I asked anyone in town I'm sure Rio would've found out and I want this to be a surprise."

Mary smiled cheerfully before saying, "It's no problem! Claire's little sister will be very happy to get the cute ring you chose, along with the traditional blue feather."

"Heh," Neil chuckled to himself, "I'm no good with these kind of romantic things. All I can do is hope that she'll say yes when I propose…if she says no I don't know what I'm going to do."

Still smiling, Mary shook her head before saying, "Whenever Claire and I catch up she always has something to tell me about her sister and how glad she is that Rio found such a wonderful boyfriend. You're thought quite highly of, you know."

This news had Neil blushing, before a pleased smile came over his face and he scuffed his feet on the ground again. With one last thank you, he glanced at his watch before heading back out of town and towards Echo Village, his hopes high as he awaited the Starry Night Festival to come.

* * *

It was a couple of days later when Neil knocked on Rio's door, all his preparations for Starry Night ready. He was so pumped up to ask her to meet up the next night that when she first opened the door with a frown on her face it didn't register that she was depressed about something. When it did register, all thoughts of what to come flew out the window and Neil immediately became concerned.

Grabbing her hand, Neil stared at her pale face with worry as he took note of her swollen eyes and trembling lower lip.

"Rio, what's wrong? Has something happened?" Neil asked, squeezing her hand as he stared at her. To his surprise, Rio jerked her hand out of his and looked away with a frown on her face.

With a pout, she sulked, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Come on, tell me," Neil said, starting to get even more worried. "It's not like you to hide things from me. Normally you're so happy and you're always bugging me and talking about things even if I don't care about them…come on, what's wrong?"

Neil immediately regretted his words when Rio turned a glare on him, saying, "I know I bug you, okay! And how come I can't hide things from you if you can hide things from me!"

"Hide things? What are you talking about-"

"Nothing!" Rio cried with a pout, before crossing her arms and retreating back into her house. Closing the door on him, she called through it, "I don't want to see you right now. I'll talk to you later."

Neil stood outside on her doorstep with a dumbfounded expression on his face before calling back through the door with irritation in his voice, "Hey! HEY! Don't just close the door on me like a brat, answer me!"

Before he could react the door opened again and Rio's fist came out to punch him on the cheek. Although there wasn't much strength behind the punch, Neil fell backwards before staring up at her with a dumbfounded expression as she stood there with tears running down her cheeks.

Scrunching up her face, Rio exclaimed, "I-I hate you!"

As she turned on her heel and shut the door again with a snap, Neil curled his knees to his chest with a frown, wondering what he could've done.

* * *

**Okay, for all of those who are confused as to why this is the second time Neil has gone to Mineral Town: First time he went to ask Claire for permission and Mary to get the catalogue. Second time is just to order the ring which he can have express mailed to his house, since if he ordered the catalogue from Hana I feel like the old woman would've gossiped about it unintentionally XD **

**Also, being as romantically daft as he is, I feel like Neil wouldn't realize that by ignoring Rio he's making her think something's wrong. He's kind of clumsy in his own way, always saying one thing when he really means something else! Like when you ask him to go stargazing with you, he's like "I guess we can go...no wait, I mean yes! I want to go with you!" He can't come out and say things directly without blushing, but that's what makes him so cute!**

**Anyways, thanks for reading my little rants XD Thanks all to those who have read and reviewed, and I hope to see you on the next update! **


	22. Chapter 22

"Stop sniffling," Allen said, irritation edging into his voice as he repeated himself for the fifth time while Rio sat across the table from him staring miserably into a mug. After her fight with Neil that morning, the farmer had found herself unable to do anything right; she'd been exceptionally more clumsy than usual, almost spearing her own chickens with the pitchfork when she went to clean up the coop.

She'd managed to get through everything without hurting her animals, but with the thought of Neil cheating on her running through her mind the farmer had been so distracted that she couldn't even focus on the fact that the Starry Night Festival was happening the next night. At first Rio had been all set to talk to Tina about it but when she'd gone over to the reporter's house she'd seen Rod standing on her doorstep with a bouquet behind his back, the farmer had felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach all over again.

As a result, she'd sought out the company of Allen, the only other person she could think of who wouldn't pity her or try and cheer her up with false optimism. She'd ended up throwing herself onto the surprised stylist, already wailing again as he pulled her into his house and gave her a pat on the back before guiding her up the stairs and getting her some tea to calm down.

Now, sitting across from him, Rio watched as Allen idly stirred a spoon in his own mug before taking a sip and glancing at her. With a sigh, he set down his cup before adjusting his glasses.

"Are you sure of what you saw?" Allen finally asked, watching as Rio nodded unhappily and clenched her hands into fists.

The farmer sighed quietly before murmuring, "I mean, Neil has never been the kind to spoil me or be really nice, but we've always had a great time despite the fact neither one of us really knew what it was like to date someone before we got together. He usually doesn't brush me off like that, and yet…I haven't seen him smile that much since the last date we went on, and that was over a season ago!"

Allen watched Rio floundering in misery while resisting the urge to tell her what was really going on. After Rod had spilled everything to the stylist, the redheaded man had silently rooted for Neil to make a grand proposal with the knowledge that Rio would come to him on the day of the wedding to have herself fixed up.

"Idiots…." Allen muttered, sipping his tea before setting it down and deciding to kill two birds with one stone. It had been awhile since he'd last played a prank on the animal trader, and the opportunity burning in front of him right now was not one he planned on passing up.

"Rio," he said, catching her attention easily, "I think I can help you resolve this problem with Neil."

* * *

Tina looked up in surprise from her typewriter as Rod burst into her house with a panicked look on his face. Before she could question what was going on, he grabbed her hand and started dragging her towards the door as he said, "Come quick! I don't know what to do and…and…just come on!"

"Ah! Rod!" Tina cried, stumbling along after him as he rushed her out of her house and down the path towards Neil's house. The reporter finally managed to wrench her hand out of Rod's grasp, and when he turned around to look at her she demanded, "Rod, hold on! What is it?"

"It's Neil!" the pet store owner said anxiously, causing Tina to blink as she asked, "Neil? What about him?"

"There's something wrong with him!" Rod wailed, grabbing Tina's hand again and pulling her after him as they two reached the animal trader's house and walked inside.

When the two of them walked inside, Tina stared in surprise while Rod shut the door behind them and stood next to her with a deflated look on his face. The couple looked on as Neil sat in the corner with his knees pulled to his chest, sulking as he muttered obscenities under his breath. He didn't acknowledge that they were there, but he seemed to grow all the more miserable as his frown deepened and the dark moody look on his face intensified.

Unsure of what was going on, Tina whispered to Rod, "How long has he been like this?"

"I don't know," Rod shrugged with a worried look. "I came over for lunch to talk to him and found him like this. He didn't even tell me to insult me like he normally does…he just sat there. Like a log."

Without hesitating, Tina walked over to where Neil sat curled up and squatted down before poking his forehead with a concerned look on her face.

"Oi," she said, "Why are you sitting in the corner with such a depressed look on your face? Aren't you proposing to Rio tomorrow? Try and have some dignity and be happy about the fact you're going to get married instead of sulking here because your days of being free are about to be over."

Her comment caused Neil to snap out of his dazed mood; the animal trader turned to look at her before he snarled, "I'm not sulking! And I couldn't give a damn about 'being free' or not! This is all Rio's fault!"

Standing up, Tina crossed her arms before giving Neil a look and asking menacingly, "And what exactly did our cute Rio do to a tough guy like you?"

Neil pouted before muttering, "She shut me out…didn't even let me ask her to stargaze tomorrow."

The animal trader gave the reporter an irritated look as she giggled, calling over to Rod, "It's just Rio again."

"Again?" Rod said in surprise, before smiling a little and telling Neil, "What did you do this time?"

"What? I didn't do anything!"

The couple gave Neil a look before Tina sighed and pointed out, "Honestly, stop denying it. You always get like this when you and Rio have a fight; you pout and sulk by yourself before going over to her place and apologizing profusely. Then you walk around all the next day with a silly grin on your face and a ridiculously happy mood."

"It must've been really bad, what you did," Rod speculated, "Since you were moping so much. I think the last time you were this depressed was when you hadn't confessed to her yet."

"Shut up," Neil grumbled, a slight blush on his face at the memory and accusations. Closing his eyes, he growled, "I don't know what I did, okay? How the hell can I apologize when I don't even know what I did wrong this time? I only have today to ask her to meet me tomorrow, I can't miss this chance!"

"Weeellll…" Tina stretched out the word, causing both boys to look at her as the reporter frowned at them. Putting her hands on her hips, she said, "Rio mentioned something to me the other day about how she thinks you're cheating on her. She told me that you keep brushing her off…is that true?"

Neil bit his lip and stared at the ground before admitting, "Maybe I have been neglecting her lately…but I just didn't want her to find out what I was doing! I couldn't just tell her 'I'm not ready to propose to you yet, hold on' could I?"

"No, but have you been meeting with someone lately to discuss your proposal? A girl or something?"

"What? Why would I…oh. Well I went to Mineral Town to get a catalogue of rings but other than that, nothing. You don't think that she saw me with the librarian and got the wrong idea, do you?"

Tina and Rod exchanged looks before nodding at Neil, who stood up slowly and frowned. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, his red eyes wandered to the window and the animal trader froze in a mixture of shock and anger. The expression on his face caused both Rod and Tina to look as well; the three watched as Allen and Rio walked down the street together, the stylist's arm casually hanging on Rio's shoulders while the two talked about something.

As they came to a stop, Rio said something that had Allen laughing, before the stylist unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and dropped it onto Rio's shoulders. Rio appeared to be protesting, but she didn't shy away much when Allen wound the scarf around her with a fond smile on his face and allowed his fingers to brush across her cheek lightly. Neil's hand clenched into a fist tightly as Rio smiled up at him and opened her mouth and thanked him.

The animal dealer was about to march outside and stop what was happening when Allen grabbed Rio by the shoulders, adjusting her position so that she was facing the window and his back was to it. As he leaned down, Neil's eyes widened at the sight of what appeared to be them kissing before Allen straightened up and turned around to smirk at Neil's house while Rio stared up at the stylist with a shocked and somewhat confused look on her face.

Fury ripped through Neil, and before Rod or Tina could stop him the blonde had crashed through his doors and ran outside. As the two ran out after him, they watched Neil head butt Allen so hard that he went flying into the fence that bordered the town before the animal trader grabbed a surprised Rio by the wrist and pulled her into his arms. Throwing her over his shoulder, Neil ignored her protests as he walked off towards the farm, leaving their stunned friends behind.

Rod shook his head to clear it before he and Tina ran over to where Allen was sitting in the snow, holding a hand to his head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Rod asked with wide eyes, blinking in surprise as Allen looked up and gave him a strained smile.

"That bastard," Allen said through clenched teeth. "I was just helping and he head butted me for no reason!"

"Allen, you can't go around kissing someone else's girlfriend…."

As the stylist sat up and looked toward the farm, he grumbled, "Who said I kissed anyone?"

While Rod helped his friend up, Tina shook her head before lecturing, "If you pull another stupid stunt like that, Neil's going to kill you-even if you ARE just acting."

Ignoring Tina's lecture, Allen lifted his chin into the air before saying, "Whatever. Thanks to my help, those two will make up."

"You're impossible," Tina grumbled as she and Rod pushed Allen towards his house to help him fix up his head as a slight trickle of blood rolled down the stylist's face. While Allen complained and Rod alternately laughed and scolded, Tina threw one last look over her shoulder before smiling and shaking her head.

* * *

Neil deposited Rio onto her floor roughly, frowning at her even as she squeaked at being dropped so suddenly. As she sat up with an angry look on her face, she opened her mouth to complain and yell at the animal trader again when she found herself unable to do anything; Neil knelt down and tilted her chin up, placing his thumb on her lower lip and scrutinizing her face with an irritated look.

As his thumb gently brushed across her mouth and he turned her face to the side, leaning in all the more to look at her, Rio avoided his burning gaze and willed herself to remain as calm as possible.

Blushing furiously, Rio tried to jerk away from him but wasn't able to as he leaned in closer and his breath blew across her face. As Rio shivered and protested weakly, "What are you-"

"Shut up. What do you think you were doing with Allen?"

Rio's anger flared before she shot back, "I wasn't doing anything! And what do you think you were doing with…with that girl?"

Confusion passed across Neil's face before he asked, "What are you talking about?"

For a minute Rio hesitated before mumbling, "That girl…you went to Mineral Town and you were flirting with her, I saw it! If you were tired of me you should've just said something-"

Rio was interrupted when Neil leaned in and kissed her smoothly, silencing her protests as he let his hand trail to her neck where Allen's scarf remained. Without a second though he pulled it off of her, throwing it to the side as he pulled back and glared at the farmer.

The intense look in his eyes caused a shiver to run through her, and when he leaned in again he brushed his lips across her lightly before muttering, "Who said I was tired of you? If anything…" Rio blushed furiously as he moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "I can't ever get enough of you. Did you really think that I would cheat on my cute girlfriend?"

"A-ah, no but-"

"Hmmm?" Neil nipped her ear lightly, causing Rio to squeak as she became even more flustered and confused. The two rarely kissed or were overly intimate, mostly due to the fact that Neil would often initiate and then pull away quickly, and the shock of how close he was being had the farmer nearly dizzy with excitement as she tried to make sense of what was going on.

"Who's cheating on who," Neil growled into her neck, biting her gently before one of his hands pressed into her shoulder roughly, forcing her onto the floor as he kneeled over her. The farmer watched with wide eyes as he leaned down to kiss her collarbone, one hand propping the animal trader up as his other hand easily slipped one of her overall straps off.

As his hand traced the curvature of her body, all rationale and control flew out of Neil's mind as he murmured, "Don't ever let anyone else but me touch you, or kiss you. The day you accepted my ring and said you'd date me is the day you agreed you'd be mine-don't you dare go back on that promise."

Rio whimpered as her other overall strap slid off, feeling slightly vulnerable with only the thin white material of her undershirt to guard her from Neil's advances. As she squirmed underneath him and he blew his breath across her face, Neil took in her intoxicating scent and grabbed her hair roughly, causing her to gasp in surprise as he dove in for another kiss.

When he finally pulled away, the farmer managed to gasp out, "A-Allen didn't kiss me…"

Her words caught the animal trader off guard, and he stopped in the middle of sliding her overalls down before asking in a dumbfounded voice, "What?"

Her face completely red, Rio mumbled, "He was walking me back to my house after I was talking to him because I thought you cheated on me…and he leaned in to whisper something to me about how much you really lo…about how much you really loved me."

As Rio's words clicked in, Neil snapped back into his senses before realizing the position the two of them were in; trapped between his body and the floor, Rio lay flustered and half stripped of her overalls, one of her wrists pinned to the floor by his hand while his other hand lingered at her waist.

Immediately Neil blushed beet red and sat up, covering his face with a hand as he mentally chided himself for what he had been planning to do. Cautiously, Rio sat up before reaching out to gently touch his cheek as she asked quietly, "Neil? Are you okay?"

"Gah!" Neil jerked out of her touch, turning even more red before getting to his feet. Avoiding her gaze, he coughed and said, "A-anyways, I didn't mean to…I uh…I'm sorry for acting so weird these last few days."

Rio got to her feet as well, tugging one of her straps over her shoulder as she asked, "That's fine…why were you acting so weird?"

The farmer watched as Neil turned away from her and headed to the door. Over his shoulder, he said, "I'll explain everything tomorrow night."

"But Neil-"

Rio blinked in surprise as Neil turned to face her, pointing at her as he said with a blush, "Tomorrow night! Seven o'clock! I'll come get you here!"

Quickly the animal trader turned on his heel and ran out of her house, leaving a confused and blushing farmer in his wake.

* * *

**So...it's official...one chapter left :( I am kind of sad to end this story, particularly because I am really fond of this couple. **

**I actually am debating writing them another story but I'm not entirely sure...I guess it depends on my mood, and even if it's kind of like repeating to write about the same couple again I hope people would still read it. It wouldn't be about their courtship though...If I write another Rio and Neil story it'll be about their married life. XD I DO have something written for Rod already though so a few days after I post the last chapter on this one I'll put that story up too. **

**Either way, I'll probably end up writing another Harvest Moon story and if it's not Rio and Neil, it'll either be Rio and Sanjay or Phillip and Lillian (from two towns). Not entirely sure yet XD Feel free to give opinions on which one you'd like to read though! **

**So, until the next update-thanks once again for reading and reviewing! You guys are amazing for having stuck with me for this whole story and I'm really grateful to have readers that always keep me wanting to write and post! :) **


	23. Chapter 23

Neil had never been more nervous in his entire life.

As he stuck his hand in his pocket, the tips of his fingers brushed the blue feather that seemed to be burning a hole in his coat and the animal trader hesitated before looking over at Rio. The two of them had hiked up to the mountain in silence, the argument and moment from the day before completely forgotten as they had reached the peak and gotten a glimpse of the stars. Though it wasn't the first time they'd gone star gazing together, there was something particularly special about how the stars twinkled down at the couple from the blanketed night sky.

Just as Neil grasped the blue feather in his pocket and opened his mouth to speak, Rio turned her face towards him; the curious look she gave him made the animal trader freeze, the beginnings of a blush already threatening to creep across his face despite the fact that the two had yet to do anything romantic since meeting up.

"What?" Neil asked, shrinking into his coat a bit as he tried to hide the anxiousness on his face. Eyebrows furrowed, Rio looked at him with a puzzled expression as she said, "You've been awfully quiet since we met up. Are you mad at me for something? I already told you yesterday that Allen didn't kiss me."

"No, I'm not mad," the animal trader huffed, running his thumb down the length of the feather as he did so. Biting his lip, he coughed and looked at the stars before saying gruffly, "It's just…it's nice to be here with you again this year. Kind of reminds me to be grateful of what I have with you."

Rio blinked at him before smiling and giggling, "You weren't saying that yesterday, when you got so mad at me!"

Neil couldn't help but smile back as he pointed out, "But you're the one who was mad in the first place! Honestly, to think you accused me of cheating on you…"

The two of them shared a smile before Rio tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and asked shyly, "So maybe it was dumb of me to just assume that, but you were acting so weird. And you still haven't explained why!"

At her questioning look, Neil took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking away and saying, "Promise to hear me out until the end, without saying anything?"

"Mmmhmm."

Quickly, he glanced over to see her staring at him with full attention, the trust in her eyes making him even more nervous than he already was. Gathering up his courage, Neil looked up at the dark sky and focused hard on the brightest star before saying, "I didn't mean to brush you off, or make any misunderstandings-I just wanted to surprise you. I couldn't do that very well with all the nosy people in this town, so I went out of my way to go somewhere else for what I needed."

Neil stole a glance in her direction, hiding a smile as she gave him an even more confused look. Deciding to clarify, he reached into the bottom of his pocket and dug out a small navy blue box, tossing it in the air and catching it before holding it out to her without facing her.

As Rio hesitantly took the box, Neil watched out of the corner of his eye when she opened it and her confusion melted into surprise, before she looked back up at him with barely masked anticipation.

Willing himself not to blush until the very end, Neil turned to face her and cleared his throat before announcing, "Sorry for being so clumsy and making you cry; that wasn't what I wanted at all. I thought that tonight, of all nights, I would make my intentions clear."

Gently Neil took her hand before murmuring, "I'm a selfish idiot who does things without thinking, and I'm not very honest when it comes to how I feel about things, especially where you're concerned. I even used to hate you, but somewhere along the way when I started to say hate it began to mean something else that I didn't want to admit to anyone because I couldn't really believe it."

As Rio blushed up at him, Neil gathered his remaining courage and grasped the feather in his hand tightly.

"I've grown to love you," Neil said, straightening up as he pulled the blue feather out of his pocket, "and I want you to marry me. If you want to be with me even a fraction as much as I want to be with you, then say you will!"

His red eyes widened as she leaned forward and met his lips in a kiss, her arms twining around his neck as she pushed up against him in an embrace. Closing his eyes, he kissed her back before she pulled away and said with a smile, "Yes. I'll marry you!"

As his trembling hands slipped the ring onto her finger, Neil blushed and looked determinedly at Rio's hand while she smiled sweetly at him. Once the ring was in place, she wove her fingers with his as she asked, "Why did you say 'even a fraction'? Don't you think I love you more than just that?"

"You can't possibly love me more than I love you," Neil said, looking off with a reluctant blush and smile on his face as he coughed and said, "Look, I'm only going to say this once so don't ask again. _I love you more than anyone else in the world._"

Rio just laughed and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek while Neil looked off in another direction, embarrassed at having said his true thoughts. As Rio leaned against him and closed her eyes, Neil looked down at her before smiling and placing one hand on her head, the blue feather in between his other hand and hers.

Closing his own eyes, Neil leaned down to kiss her forehead before murmuring, "Don't forget it, okay?"

* * *

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," Allen said, standing over Rio's bed while the rest of the town's girls stood behind him all giggling. Rio, confused, blinked up at him while wondering why he was in her house so early when she suddenly remembered. The farmer shot up to a sitting position so fast that she knocked heads with Allen, causing him to yelp as he grabbed at his forehead and complained that she'd hit the same spot Neil had head butted him in a week before.

As Rio sat with a flustered and excited look on her face, Tina smiled before saying cheerfully, "You're getting married today, Rio, so the girls and I pitched in to do your chores. Come on, we even made you breakfast! Let's all eat so we can get started on your beauty treatment, alright?"

Glancing around, Rio noticed her sister wasn't there before Iroha smiled and said, "Claire said that she's sorry she can't be here to help you. Apparently her toddler is acting up and refuses to let go of her, so she didn't want to bring him here-she thought that he might distract us all, but she said she and Gray would meet us later."

With a smile, Rio gave her friends a thankful look before saying, "Alright. Thank you, everybody!"

* * *

Neil stood outside the festival grounds nervously, playing with the folded handkerchief in his pocket as he waiting anxiously for Rio to arrive. As it was the first day of spring, pink petals floated in the air and gave off an even bigger festival sense as the villagers passed the groom on their way to the festival grounds.

While Neil paced back and forth with anxiety, Rod tried his best to calm his friend down while looking towards the salon to see if the girls were coming with Rio. Allen had made it a point to gather all the girls in town and deem himself leader of them as they fixed the bride up for her big day, and it was obvious that Neil was more nervous about seeing Rio in her wedding gown than he was about the big ceremony.

The pet store owner gave a sigh of relief as he saw a cluster of girls come out of the salon, Allen leading the way while a figure clad all in white walked in the middle of them.

"Hey Neil, close your eyes for a bit okay?" Rod said cheerfully, putting his hands over the animal trader's eyes.

"Rod?! What the hell are you doing, get off!"

"Not if my life depended on it!~"

"You better get off or you won't have a life to depend on anymore," Neil threatened, frowning as he heard Rod laugh happily and reassure him cheerfully that he'd let go the moment Rio was in sight.

As the group reached the two boys, the girls all giggled before pushing Rio forward eagerly, clustering around behind her in the hopes of getting a good look at Neil's face. At Allen's signal, Rod dropped his hands and Neil found himself staring with wide eyes as his bride stared back at him with a nervous but happy smile on her face.

White flowers were braided into Rio's hair, forming a crown of sorts as the rest of her hair fell back in long delicate curls. The dress, while not overloaded with lace or frills, clung tight at the bodice and flowed outwards into a billowy skirt at the bottom, the pearl white of the dress shining against the porcelain color of Rio's skin. Her makeup was light enough to define her features but not be showy, and as Neil stood there gaping he felt his heart bang in his ribcage before he managed to compose himself and mutter that she looked nice.

Much to his embarrassment, everyone present giggled before a familiar voice called out, "You have to say it louder, Neil, or she won't hear you!"

The group looked over to see Claire grinning cheekily, as she, Gray and their son stood there with proud smiles on their faces. When the little boy saw Rio and Neil, a smile lit up his face and he ran towards them saying, "Uncle Neeeeeeilllll-!"

He'd barely taken two steps when Gray grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hoisted him into his arms, saying gently, "Hey, Leon, let's go ahead and find some seats okay? Uncle Neil and Aunt Rio have to get ready."

"Okay!" the little boy said happily, waving at the couple as he was carried into the festival grounds. As her husband and son walked off, Claire just shook her head before saying to Neil, "He's been attached to you ever since Rio brought you to our farm last Christmas. You wouldn't believe the fuss he made when I told him you were really going to be his uncle."

As everyone present laughed and Neil turned red again, the animal trader glared weakly at them muttering, "Shouldn't you guys go sit down already?"

Following Gray, Rio and Neil's friends all waved and called out teasingly before leaving Claire and the couple by themselves outside the grounds.

Walking over to her sister, Claire put a hand on her shoulder before saying, "I wish you all the best, Rio. I only wish that mom and dad could have seen how much you've grown. You've become your own person; just the way you wanted."

Rio smiled at her sister before pulling her into a hug, causing Claire to laugh sadly and hug her back before pulling away and turning to look at Neil with a threatening smile.

"Congratulations, snatching up my cute sister," the older sister told him, before putting a hand on her hip and saying, "Since I can't take care of her anymore, you'd better do a good job or I'll make you regret it, you got that?"

Neil nodded meekly, causing Claire to laugh as she pounded his back and headed after everyone else. As the two young adults stood there, waiting for the music that would be their cue, Rio stole a glance over at Neil only to see that he was looking back at her. Both of them blushed, before looking up as the music started to play, signaling that they were to begin walking together down the aisle.

As Rio bit her lip, nervous at the thought of having to walk in front of so many people, she looked over to see that Neil was staring straight ahead, one hand held out as he waited for her to take it. Regaining her courage, Rio smiled before taking his hand.

Sharing a smile, the two took a step towards their future, holding hands as if they'd never let go.

* * *

**And there it is. XD **

**All my feels just about killed me when I wrote this last chapter, but it's okay because I released them all when I finished up my oneshot for Rod and started another story for Rio and Neil :) Be on the lookout for those if you want to read them (I'll probably post the oneshot either tommorow or the day after). **

**I AM going to do a LillianXPhillip story at the same time I do my next RioXNeil story. However, I will post the latter first because I have already started that one and still only have a concept for the first idea XD **

**Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and read this story! I can never say it enough; you guys are more than enough to encourage me in my writing :) Without you guys, I feel like I would have given up on half of my projects a long time ago once I hit a block. **

**You guys. Are awesome. :) **

**So thanks all for sticking along with this ridiculously loveable couple, and hope to hear from you all again on my next stories! :) **


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